War Is Boring

by DAVID AXE

Spanish navy ships have reportedly “invaded” British waters off the coast of Gibraltar, on the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, in recent weeks. A local politician said, “This latest incident is clearly part of a continuing campaign on the part of the Spanish government and its agencies designed to undermine British sovereignty over the waters that surround the Rock,” as the strategic British territory at the mouth of the Med is known. The British Royal Navy maintains a small force of patrol boats in the territory.

According to the politician, the Spanish corvette Tarifa, pictured, allegedly

dropped a [Rigid-hull Inflatable Boat] into the sea and this RIB proceeded to approach all Spanish fishing boats in the area to examine their nets as if the boats were in Spain and not in Gibraltar. It has also been reported that the RIB refused to leave our waters when asked to do so by the Royal Navy.

Spain and the U.K. have long squabbled over ownership of Gibraltar and its waters. Fisheries enforcement is a front for that dispute. On the sea, where borders blur, fishing often becomes a strategic issue … especially in West Africa.

(Photo: via Merco Press)

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