Spanish and Moroccan Navies Conduct Joint Counter-Terrorism Drills in Mediterranean

The Spanish ship made a stopover in Tangier to participate in various exercises with the "Sultan Moulay Ismail" frigate of the Royal Moroccan Navy, as a partner of the Alliance "in terms of collaboration in the fight against terrorism in the Mediterranean", indicated the Spanish defense staff (EMAD) in a press release cited by La Razón.

The crew of the frigate "Santa María" held sessions with the Moroccan civilian and military authorities to inform them of the objectives of the operation which aims to "exchange information on illegal or suspicious activities existing both in the Strait of Gibraltar and in the Alboran Sea and in the Mediterranean".

Specifically, communication exercises, refueling approaches, training and flag exercises were carried out "satisfactorily", the statement said, adding that these exercises are a traditional and discreet method of communication between naval units.

According to EMAD, these NATO exercises are "important" because they aim to optimize and contribute in a combined way to strengthening maritime security in the Mediterranean, in particular "the localization, identification and monitoring of illicit activities such as drug trafficking, smuggling and human trafficking".