Morocco’s Royal Navy intercepts suspicious vessel off Dakhla

A frigate of the Royal Navy intercepted, on Sunday, December 31, 2023, a suspicious vessel approximately 345 km southwest of Dakhla, 85 km off the coastline. The vessel, carrying five individuals, refused to comply and attempted to evade capture and flee towards open waters.

The intercepted ship was found to be carrying four Venezuelan nationals and one individual of Mauritanian-Peruvian nationality. Despite warnings to comply, the vessel refused to oblige, prompting the naval intervention.

After a meticulous control operation conducted by the frigate’s maritime interception team, it was revealed that the vessel lacked proper documentation and flew no flag. The vessel was rerouted to the port of Dakhla for further inspection and administrative processing.

An official statement from the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces outlined the sequence of events, indicating that the vessel is now under the jurisdiction of the Royal Gendarmerie for standard administrative procedures.