Spanish and Moroccan Warships Nearly Collide Off Ceuta

A Moroccan patrol boat and a Spanish military vessel nearly collided in the waters off Ceuta. The incident took place in early August, amid a migration crisis, as the Royal Moroccan Navy stepped up incursions into a maritime area claimed by Madrid. These events, which had remained confidential until now, were reported Monday, October 12, by the Spanish daily El País.

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According to sources consulted by the newspaper, at least one Moroccan frigate and several patrol boats entered Ceuta’s waters on multiple occasions on July 30 and 31, and again during the first days of August. Spanish military officials described the maneuvers as deliberate and repeated, causing considerable tension between the two navies.

Madrid quickly dispatched its own vessels. On August 3, the offshore patrol vessel Rayo, usually based in Las Palmas, in the Canary Islands, arrived at the port of Ceuta to strengthen maritime surveillance. As Moroccan movements continued, the Spanish general staff then sent the frigate Santa María from the naval base at Rota, near Cadiz.

Two Spanish frigates deployed, followed by intervention with Rabat

The deployment encountered an unexpected problem. After suffering a mechanical failure, the Santa María had to be replaced by the frigate Navarra, which belongs to the same squadron. On August 6, the two vessels docked in Ceuta for a few hours to transfer the marine infantry unit and its equipment from one ship to the other.

The standoff continued until Spain’s Ministry of Defence intervened with Moroccan authorities. According to El País, the high-level diplomatic approach, accompanied by the deterrent deployment of the Spanish fleet, brought the incidents to an end.

The maneuvers took place as Spain was strengthening its military presence in Ceuta following 72,000 migrant crossings from Morocco. They also touch on a longstanding territorial dispute. Madrid claims a 12-nautical-mile territorial sea around Ceuta, while Rabat contests Spanish sovereignty over the city and its waters.

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The matter reached King Felipe VI. On September 8, the king chaired an extraordinary meeting on Ceuta at Zarzuela Palace, attended by Defence Minister Margarita Robles and five senior military officials. Among those present were the chief of defence staff, the commander of operations and the military official in charge of Ceuta.

The revelations come on the eve of Felipe VI and Queen Letizia’s visit to Ceuta, scheduled for Tuesday, October 13, before a visit to Melilla the following day. The Spanish king will thus make his first official trip to the two cities since ascending to the throne in 2014, nearly two months after a naval standoff about which he was personally briefed.