Spanish Navy tracks Russian warships through Mediterranean to Atlantic

The Spanish Navy said the Maritime Action Vessel (BAM) Rayo monitored and tracked Russian Navy units as they transited the Mediterranean Sea toward the Atlantic Ocean as part of Spain’s ongoing Presence, Surveillance and Deterrence (OPVD) operations.

The escorted group consisted of a corvette, a frigate and a supply vessel accompanying two merchant ships sailing westward through the Mediterranean, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

Spanish authorities said the detection and subsequent tracking of the Russian vessels began south of Mallorca as the group entered waters within Spain’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

From that point, the BAM Rayo maintained continuous surveillance of the vessels during their passage through the Alboran Sea and the Strait of Gibraltar. The monitoring operation concluded once the Russian ships entered Portugal’s Exclusive Economic Zone.

The Spanish Navy stated that the activities formed part of its permanent missions aimed at ensuring maritime security, safeguarding freedom of navigation and contributing to collective deterrence within NATO.

The Maritime Operational Command (MOM), which oversees such missions, operates under the authority of the Chief of the Defence Staff and is responsible for planning, conducting and monitoring maritime presence, surveillance and deterrence operations in areas of national sovereignty and strategic interest.

The command is led by Admiral of Maritime Operations Vice-Admiral Vicente Cuquerella Gamboa and is headquartered in Cartagena.

According to the statement, Navy vessels operating under the MOM and the operational control of the Operations Command conduct OPVD missions on a permanent basis in order to strengthen maritime domain awareness, contribute to comprehensive maritime security and enable the early detection of potential threats.

The Spanish Armed Forces noted that the MOM, together with the Land, Air, Space and Cyberspace Operational Commands, forms part of the country’s permanent operational command structure. Around 850 military personnel are involved daily in permanent operations conducted under the operational control of the Operations Command.

By Vafa Guliyeva