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Britain's Foreign Office said Tuesday it is summoning Spanish ambassador after a Spanish ship entered waters off Gibraltar.
It said that Spanish Ambassador Federico Trillo has been summoned to the Foreign Office, "in order to underline the British Government's serious concerns regarding an ongoing incursion into British Gibraltar Territorial Waters."
David Lidington, Britain's Minister for Europe, said: "I strongly condemn this provocative incursion and urge the Spanish government to ensure that it is not repeated. We stand ready to do whatever is required to protect Gibraltar's sovereignty, economy and security."
Lidington said despite repeated diplomatic protests to Spain in relation to "incursions into British Gibraltar Territorial Waters" in recent months, a Spanish research vessel, the RV Ramon Margalef, undertook significant surveying activity there on Nov. 18-19 for over 20 hours.
When challenged by radio, the vessel responded that it was conducting survey work with the permission of the Spanish authorities and in the interests of the European Community.
"This comes only two weeks after dangerous manoeuvres by a Spanish Guardia Civil vessel in the vicinity of Royal Navy vessels in British waters put lives at risk and resulted in a minor collision," Lidington said.
"According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the waters around Gibraltar are indisputably British territorial waters, under United Kingdom sovereignty, in which only the United Kingdom has the right to exercise jurisdiction," he stated.
"Spain is a Party to this Convention and is fully aware of the legal position, yet has, over the past two years, increased the level of unlawful incursions by Spanish State vessels into British territorial waters from around five per month to around 40 per month."
"We believe that it is in the interests of Spain, Gibraltar and Britain to avoid incidents such as this that damage the prospects for establishing dialogue and cooperation," he said.
Gibraltar, which situates on the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean, was ceded to Britain as part of the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 and has been a source of constant frustration for Spain ever since.
