Royal Navy chases Spanish warship out of Gibraltan waters for a THIRD TIME as tensions mount over Rock row
The P78 Cazadora deliberately entered the northern side of the Bay of Gibraltar at around 9am this morning, reports claim
A SPANISH ship naval vessel has been chased off after sailing into Gibraltan waters again in a blatant act of provocation.
The P78 Cazadora deliberately entered the northern side of the Bay of Gibraltar at around 9am this morning, according to reports.
Pictures appear to show the Descubierta Class vessel steaming through the bay today.
The ship is now understood to have left Gibraltan waters after being chased off by the Royal Navy.
The UK government has formerly protested to Spain about the illegal incursion.
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A spokesperson for the Foreign Office told the Sun Online: “The Royal Navy challenges all unlawful maritime incursions into British Gibraltar Territorial Waters (BGTW) – and did so again on this occasion.
“We back this up by making formal diplomatic protests to the Spanish government.
“We take these actions to defend our sovereignty over British Gibraltar Territorial Water.”
The incident is the third time this month that a Spanish military vessel has entered UK waters around "the Rock".
A small Royal Navy patrol boat chased away the much larger warship Infanta Cristina at the start of April after it sailed past the eastern coast of Gibraltar – well within the sovereign territory's waters.
Taxi driver Giancarlo Milanta said at the time: “This is provocation. They are trying to raise the stakes but the Royal Navy showed them who is boss.”
HMS Scimitar intercepted the same warship just over a week later after it deliberately entered UK waters again.
Spain’s foreign ministry said after that incident that it does not recognise the waters, which it claims as its own.
They said: “An illegal incursion, no, because for us it is the utilisation of our waters.
“Spain does not recognise other rights and situations belonging to Great Britain in the maritime spaces that are not included in Article 10 of the Treaty of Utrecht.”
Gibraltar was captured from Spain in 1704 and ceded to Great Britain in 1713 under the treaty.
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