Naval Incident (24 January)

HC Deb 01 February 2002 vol 379 cc599-600W

Mr. Crausby

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the incident involving a Spanish Government vessel and a British naval vessel on 24 January. [31807]

Mr. Tynan

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the incident involving a Spanish Government vessel and a British naval vessel on 24 January. [31808]

Mr. Ingram

[holding answer 31 January 2002]: On 24 January two Spanish Navy patrol vessels entered British Gibraltar territorial waters during an operation by the Royal Navy to tow a suspected unexploded World War 2 bomb into deep water, following its discovery by the Mine Countermeasures Vessel HMS Grimsby during a routine survey. One of the Spanish vessels withdrew once the operation had been completed. The second remained in Gibraltar waters overnight, closely monitoring HMS Grimsby which continued her survey operation. Following contacts between the British Embassy in Madrid and the Spanish Government, this vessel left Gibraltar waters the following morning.