Royal Navy escorts Spanish patrol boat out of British waters around Gibraltar in second incursion this month
- The Spanish Patrol Vessel was very close to beaches on the East Side of the Rock
- Royal Navy Gibraltar Squadron patrol boat had to escort the ship for more than an hour
- Spanish military incursions into British waters have ramped up since the coronavirus crisis
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
The Royal Navy escorted a Spanish patrol boat out of British waters around Gibraltar this afternoon.
The Spanish Patrol Vessel P43 Relámpago incurred into British Territorial waters.
It was very close to pleasure boats and the beaches on the East Side of the Rock.
The Royal Navy Gibraltar Squadron patrol boat had to escort the ship for more than an hour until it exited British waters.
The Spanish Patrol Vessel P43 Relámpago incurred into British Territorial waters this afternoon
The P43 Relámpago patrol vessel is a Meteoro Class offshore patrol vessel and is 308 feet long
The P43 Relámpago patrol vessel is a Meteoro Class offshore patrol vessel and is 308 feet long.
On May 6 the Spanish vessel Infanta Cristina entered Gibraltar’s territory and Britain’s patrol boat HMS Sabre stopped the incursion.
HMS Sabre is one of Britain’s two Fast Patrol Boats around Gibraltar alongside HMS Scimitar. It has a top speed of 32 knots.
The Royal Navy Gibraltar Squadron patrol boat had to escort the ship for over one hour until it exited British waters
Spanish military incursions into British waters have ramped up since the coronavirus crisis
In February last year a Spanish warship with its guns manned tried to order commercial vessels to leave British waters.
The warship’s crew could be heard in an audio recording telling vessels anchored at the Rock to ‘leave Spanish territorial waters’.
Royal Navy boats were deployed and confronted the ship, which then sailed along the Gibraltar coast ‘with its weapons uncovered and manned’.
HMS Sabre is a small fast patrol boat around 52ft long and around 24 tonnes.
The Gibraltar Squadron has 21 personnel and three Pacific ridge-hulled inflatable boats, according to the Navy’s website.