Morocco receives support from Spain to refloat the patrol boat stranded in the waters of Melillia

Badr Tadlaoui
|

15:28 – December 28, 2024

The Moroccan government received, on Saturday, December 28, support from Spain to refloat a royal navy patrol boat, stranded in the waters of Melillia since Thursday, according to Spanish media.

The patrol boat suffered a sudden technical breakdown and found itself immobilized between rocks, in the waters near the southern dike of Melillia, a little over 500 meters from the Moroccan port of Beni Ensar.

The Spanish government, at the same time, activated the National Maritime Rescue Plan, mobilizing specialized resources from Cádiz, Almería and Murcia, as indicated by port sources in the city of Melillia.

The first refloating attempts, carried out by the royal navy with the support of two tugboats dispatched from Morocco, were “so far proven unsuccessful”according to the same sources.

Since the incident, the port authorities of Melillia have been on alert, fearing “a possible sinking of the patrol boat, which has a leak in its hull.” To prevent such an eventuality, a pump was installed to evacuate the water that seeps inside the ship and prevent its immersion.

The Moroccan patrol boat had left its home port in Nador on December 26 when its engines suddenly stopped. Under the force of the wind, the ship was pushed against the submerged reefs of the southern seawall of Melillia, where it eventually ran aground.