Patrol vessel 'CENTINELA' will conduct a maritime security operation throughout the Strait of Gibraltar

• The offshore patrol vessel 'Centinela' (P-72), will conduct a naval patrol in the first fortnight of April on waters of the Cadiz Sack, Strait of Gibraltar, southeast peninsular and rocks under Spanish sovereignty in North Africa

Parol vessel 'Centinela' set off to conduct a permanent maritime security operation for surveillance and naval presence in areas of interest to Spain, the vessel is integrated into the Maritime Operational Command (MOM in spanish).

During this trip, the ship will cooperate with a Navy SH-60B helicopter belonging to the tenth squadron of the flotilla of aircraft (FLOAN) based in Rota to improve its flight capability and interoperability with aircraft on air operations. It is also scheduled to dock in Melilla in order to be present in the city.

Maritime Operational Command MOM

The Maritime Operational Command (MOM) is the body within the operational structure of the Armed Forces, subordinate to the Chief of Defence Staff, responsible for planning, conducting and monitoring surveillance and security operations in maritime areas of sovereignty, responsibility and national interest.

A number of units and forces are operationally dependent on the MOM, which can be increased as the situation requires. These units and forces are not exclusively Navy assets, but include others from the Army and Air Force. The Commander of the Maritime Operational Command is the Admiral for Maritime Action (ALMART).

Permanent Operations

Permanent Operations are the most effective solution for maintaining knowledge of sovereign spaces over time, which allows early detection of threats and enables an immediate and reliable response in the event of a Crisis.

Land (MOT), Maritime (MOM) and Aerospace (MOA) Operational Commands and the Joint Cyberspace Command (MCCE) make up the Standing Command structure.

These Commands daily allocate nearly 1,200 military personnel to these operations, which are aimed at having a full knowledge of the environment while ensuring an immediate response 365 days a year to any incident that may occur, and all of this aimed at preserving the security of all Spaniards.

Patrol vessel 'Centinela'

P-72 'Centinela', is the second vessel belonging to the 'Serviola' class and is based in Ferrol (La Coruña).

Currently, its primary mission is to conduct surveillance and security operations in the maritime environment on areas under national sovereignty. It also cooperates with and supports other public bodies by monitoring maritime traffic, surveillance of fishing and search and rescue of castaways.

The vessel, commanded by Miguel Pereira Martínez, has a crew of 7 officers, 10 non-commissioned officers, 29 sailors and a small operational security team of  7 marines.

The ship was built at the Navantia shipyard in Ferrol and commissioned to the Spanish Navy in September 1991.