More than 70,000 migrants arrived from Morocco through the Tarajal border crossing on 30 and 31 July. During the surge, Moroccan warships entered waters Spain claims as its own off Ceuta. Spain’s Navy sent a frigate to curb the incursions. The frigate Santa María, based in Rota, was later replaced by Navarra after a fault.
Pedro Sánchez confirmed the episode in a press scrum attended by RTVE, after El País reported it.
The naval incidents coincided with the mass arrival of migrants, but Sánchez described them as isolated events between neighbouring countries. Spanish media reported repeated entries by at least one Moroccan frigate and several patrol vessels in the final days of July and early August. Madrid’s permission had not been sought. Sánchez said the two navies spoke afterwards and described their cooperation as fluid despite what he called intense days.
Spain considers the waters extending 12 nautical miles, about 22 km, from Ceuta’s coast to be its territorial sea. Madrid regards crossings into that zone as violations of Spanish sovereignty.
The frigate’s deployment put a naval response alongside the government’s emphasis on cooperation.
Infodefensa reported that the Moroccan frigate Hassan II left the naval base at Ksar Sghir on the morning of 31 July, the day of the mass arrival in Ceuta. The report did not specify the ship’s precise route. La Nouvelle Tribune also reported that a manoeuvre by a Moroccan patrol boat and a Spanish vessel may have brought them close to a collision. No public official investigation has confirmed that account.
Sánchez said relations with Morocco were impressive to Spain, citing joint work against terrorism and trafficking networks. He called the bilateral relationship fundamental and said his government sought to build it. He also criticised the PP for asking the European Union to suspend a strategic agreement with Morocco and for voting against a friendship agreement with France.
Separate coverage of the migration crisis has focused on returns from Ceuta. Migrants’ accounts of transfers have challenged the official classification of 1,823 returns as voluntary.
The arrivals of 30 and 31 July overwhelmed Ceuta’s ordinary reception system. Authorities also cleared the temporary El Guano camp ahead of the royal family’s visit to the city.
The disclosure came before Felipe VI and Letizia’s planned visits to Ceuta on Tuesday and Melilla on Wednesday. The palace visits were presented as a show of support amid the migration crisis that followed the arrivals of 30 and 31 July. Sánchez spoke to reporters at the Palacio Real after the National Day parade, a day before the royal visit to Ceuta.
Madrid says naval cooperation remained fluid, while Spain sent frigates after Moroccan vessels entered waters it claims as its own. Public reporting has not disclosed the exact coordinates or duration of the incursions. Morocco has not publicly acknowledged a violation or explained the ships’ routes.
