The frigates ‘Blas de Lezo’ and ‘Canarias’ monitor three Russian Federation units in transit from the Cantabrian Sea to the eastern Mediterranean

•  The frigates ‘Blas de Lezo’ and ‘Canarias’ tracked the submarine ‘Novorossiyk’, escorted by the auxiliary vessels ‘Evgeniy Churov’ and ‘Alatau’

Between 4 and 11 September, the frigates ‘Blas de Lezo’ and ‘Canarias’ monitored the transit of the Russian submarine ‘Novorossiyk’, escorted by two auxiliary vessels during its passage through Spanish waters of interest.

The frigate ‘Blas de Lezo’ departed from its base port in the Ferrol Navy Yard, following instructions from the Commander of the Maritime Operations Command, in order to monitor the Russian grouping during its transit through the national maritime areas of interest in the Cantabrian Sea.

The submarine ‘Novorossiyk’ and the tug ‘Evgeniy Churov’ were monitored in the Cantabrian Sea by the ‘Blas de Lezo’, which replaced a French frigate. It continued monitoring during the transit off the Galician coast and maintained its position as far as the Portuguese coast, where it was handed over to a Portuguese vessel.

Subsequently, the frigate ‘Canarias’ continued to monitor the Russian units during their transit through the Gulf of Cadiz and the ‘Alboran’ Sea.

While passing through the Strait of Gibraltar, the tug ‘Alatau’ joined the group to continue escorting the submarine ‘Novorossiyk’ in its transit towards the central Mediterranean.

Finally, the ‘Canarias’ completed its surveillance and deterrence mission and then transferred the responsibility for tracking to a French vessel, which took over once the Russian grouping left the maritime areas of Spanish interest.

Maritime Operational Command

The Maritime Operational Command (MOM) is the body of the operational structure of the Armed Forces, subordinate to the Chief of Defence (JEMAD) responsible, at his level, for planning, conducting and monitoring permanent surveillance and security operations in maritime areas of sovereignty, responsibility and national interest. It is under the command of the Admiral of the Maritime Department and has its headquarters in Cartagena.

Presence, Surveillance and Deterrence Operations

Presence, Surveillance and Deterrence Operations are an effective tool for maintaining surveillance of sovereign spaces, enabling early detection of threats and facilitating an immediate and viable response to a potential crisis.

The Land (MOT), Maritime (MOM), Aerospace (MOA) and Cyberspace (MOC) Operational Commands make up the Permanent Command structure. On a daily basis, some 3,000 Armed Forces personnel are involved in such operations under the operational control of the Joint Operations Command.