A Navy ship has intercepted two Russian warships in the waters of Galicia, which were already under surveillance in the waters of Mallorca since October 11. The high altitude patrol vessel 'Centinela' (P-72), of the Navy's Maritime Action Force, based at the Ferrol Arsenal, went to sea on the northern border with Portugal to locate the two ships and make a follow-up of your trajectory.
These two warships had been seen for the first time in Balearic waters a few days ago, where the Navy also carried out preventive monitoring work. The two vessels intercepted are the tug 'Sergey Balk' and the Kilo-class submarine 'Krasnodar'.
The Navy assures that, despite the harsh weather conditions and lack of visibility, the ships were located during the afternoon of October 17 near the border with Portugal. From that moment on, the Spanish patrol vessel carried out surveillance work until October 18. That day the ship returned to its home port in Ferrol and the submarine continued its course towards some point in the Baltic Sea.
"Presence, Surveillance and Dissuasion Operations are an effective tool to maintain surveillance of the spaces of sovereignty, which allows threats to be detected in advance and facilitate an immediate and viable response to a potential crisis," says the Defense General Staff in a statement.
For this maritime surveillance operation, the 'Sentinel' was integrated into the Maritime Operational Command, under operational control of the Operations Command (MOPS). It is a ship with a crew of approximately 40 people, whose main mission is maritime surveillance and security operations in areas of sovereignty and national interest.
The Navy statement adds that its support for other State agencies in the fight against illegal immigration, drug trafficking and other criminal activities is also common. The ship is prepared to carry out maritime interdiction operations (visit, search and, where appropriate, seizure of ships) and provide aid, rescue and assistance at sea if required.
The Maritime Action Force, to which the 'Sentinel' belongs, is made up of various units in charge of protecting international maritime interests and controlling maritime spaces of sovereignty and national interest.
The Navy details that it has a comprehensive approach to ensuring permanent cooperation with the various Administration bodies with powers in the maritime field, "which constitutes the Navy's contribution to State Action at Sea."
