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Date Published: 31/08/2023

More strife in Gibraltar as Spain lodges complaints with the UK

Fresh arguments have arisen over the sovereignty of the waters surrounding Gibraltar

The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent verbal complaints on Monday August 28 to the British Embassy in Madrid to convey its "strong protest" over three "serious incidents" that occurred during the month of August in waters that Spain claims as its own around Gibraltar.

The Government of Gibraltar immediately hit back, insisting that the waters near the Rock are under British sovereignty, not Spanish, while at the same time reassuring that this latest dispute will have no impact on the ongoing negotiations between the United Kingdom and the EU for a post-Brexit agreement.

"The Government of Gibraltar has no doubt about the British sovereignty of the waters surrounding Gibraltar," Fabian Picardo stressed in a statement, adding that "unnecessary incidents in them must be avoided, as they pose a risk to the crews of the vessels involved".

Outlining the three incidents that prompted these diplomatic protests, Spain first drew attention to the fuel spill suffered by the Panamanian-flagged methane tanker Gas Venus on August 1. Up to 2,000 litres of fuel poured into Gibraltar waters during a bunkering manoeuvre, forcing the closure of the port for a day and a half.

The second incident to which the complaint refers occurred on August 14, when the Colimbo II belonging to the Spanish Customs Surveillance Service was reportedly “obstructed in the development of its work” by three UK state vessels. This, according to the ministry, "created a situation of risk and hindered the proper functions of the Spanish authorities”.

The last and most recent of the incidents took place on August 21, when the fishing vessel Mi Daniela and its skipper "were harassed by British State vessels again in Spanish waters near the Rock, in clear violation of Spanish sovereignty and acting outside of its jurisdiction”.

These verbal complaints are just the latest in a long line of conflicts over the waters surrounding the Rock and do little to ease relations between the British and Spanish as the future of Gibraltar hangs in the balance.

Despite this back and forth, the Gibraltarian Government has taken the opportunity to ensure that it maintains its commitment to "achieving a satisfactory result for all parties" in the ongoing negotiation on the treaty that will regulate the relationship between the Rock and the EU now that the United Kingdom has left the bloc.

"The recent series of incidents should not have any effect on those positive negotiations that are awaiting the result of the inauguration of a new Government in Spain," the statement concluded.

In other news: Bodies pulled from Fuengirola surf as search continues for missing paddle boarders

Image: Bengt Nyman via Wikimedia Commons

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