Spanish Ship Refuses to Leave Gibraltar’s Waters

Andries Seutens

Spanish Ship Refuses to Leave Gibraltar’s Waters

Spain repeatedly defies Britain, yet London does nothing.

A Spanish survey vessel illegally entered British Gibraltar territorial waters on November 18 and refused to leave for 22 hours, despite direct orders to do so from Royal Navy patrol boats. The ship only left after Britain summoned the Spanish ambassador.

The Spanish RV Romon Margalef, accompanied by three Spanish Guardia Civil boats, claimed to be “carrying out oceanographic works” that were “of the European Community interest.”

“According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the waters around Gibraltar are indisputably British territorial waters,” the bbc writes. Yet a Spanish vessel accompanied by official policy boats entered British waters and ignored direct orders to leave for nearly a day, and Britain took no meaningful action.

This incursion is only unusual because of the length of time it took. Spain makes 40 illegal incursions a month, on average—up from five, two years ago.

The number of incursions go up because Britain takes no action to defend its sovereign territory. In Gibraltar, Britain is advertising its weakness to the world.

This isn’t about taking action against one Spanish boat. Spain’s aggression has been going on for months. Yet Spain has suffered no penalties, diplomatic, economic or otherwise.

Maintaining good relations with Spain despite such belligerence might seem to Britain to be the prudent course. But in the long run, Britain will pay dearly for being so nonchalant about ensuring other nations respect its sovereignty and power.

Britain’s response to Spain’s aggression demonstrates that it does not have the will to hold on to Gibraltar. For more information on why Gibraltar is important to the whole of Britain, read our recent article “The Day Britain Loses Gibraltar.”