The Government had condemned the incursion into British Gibraltar Territorial Waters by the Spanish Survey vessel “Angeles Alvarino” on Tuesday night.

In fact, it says, there were four incursions by Spanish state vessels on Tuesday of which three, including this one, were Class A which are considered the most serious. These were carried out by the Spanish navy patrol boat P64 “Tarifa”, the Guardia Civil patrol boat “Rio Cedena” as well as the Survey Vessel “Angeles Alvarino”.

A Class A incursion is a major breach of the United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS) Article 19 regarding actions by a foreign power in another nation’s territorial sea.

The Government understands that the Royal Navy, the Royal Gibraltar Police and the Gibraltar Defence Police all deployed to the scene in order to prevent the “Angeles Alvarino” from carrying out executive action in Gibraltar waters. There are reports of dangerous and reckless manoeuvres on the part of the Guardia Civil patrol boat “Rio Cedena” which accompanied the survey vessel.

These continued incursions, many of which are accompanied by attempts to take executive action, are, says the Government, in keeping with the Spanish view that Gibraltar has no territorial waters. This is, it says, “complete nonsense” given that under UNCLOS every coastal territory generates its own territorial sea and the waters around Gibraltar are “unquestionably British.” The United Kingdom claims up to the median line in the Bay and three miles of territorial sea elsewhere. This can be extended to 12 miles under international law.

There were a total of 109 incursions in January, 151 in February and 137 in March.

The Government welcomes that the Spanish Ambassador to London has been summoned to the Foreign Office. This should be followed by firm action against Spain in order to prevent a repetition.

The Government believes that this latest “act of aggression” against British sovereignty confirms that the present Spanish Government is not interested in dialogue, in ad hoc talks or in good neighbourly relations. “Their only interest,” according to Number 6, “lies in bullying and harassing Gibraltar by land, air and sea.”