Spanish Navy Conducts Mine Sweep in Melilla Waters Amid Tensions with Morocco

"The operation started on November 24 and ended on November 26. It is carried out from time to time to "update all information on our territorial waters and seabeds," said Lorenzo Rubí Herrero, the second commander of the Melilla navy.

Herrero reported on this military operation after the reaction of Spanish internet users on social media, denouncing the presence of the two Spanish ships that they had taken for "Moroccan warships".

To read: Spanish Navy Warns of Moroccan Encroachment Near Chafarinas Islands

The news has caused some concern among Spaniards due to the authorization granted by Morocco to a Moroccan company to install a fish farm in Chafarinas in Spanish territorial waters, and the kingdom’s intention to install another one on the maritime route connecting Melilla to Almeria, reports Europa Press.

The operation coincided with the "arrival of the patrol boat Infanta Cristina, 88 meters long and with 90 crew members, near the Chafarinas islands, thus ensuring security in Spanish waters," the general staff of the Spanish army’s defense stressed on its official Twitter account.