File photo: The coastline near Xerokampos in south-east Crete, June 2016. Photo: Oksana Gkizi / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Greece and Turkey Trade NAVTEX Over Cable Survey Off Crete

by · Greek City Times

Greece and Turkey have traded rival NAVTEX southeast of Crete over a survey ship mapping the seabed for a fibre-optic cable meant to link Asia and Europe.

The Bahamas-flagged KOBI RUEGG is carrying out the work under a Greek permit issued on 2 October. That cable would run from Saudi Arabia to Europe via Greece.

On Tuesday, 27 October, the Heraklion station on Crete issued two navigational warnings. The first declared a Turkish notice on the ship’s work “null and void”.

According to the Greek warning, the Turkish notice came from an “unauthorised station”. In addition, most of its coordinates lie within the Greek continental shelf and exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Read more: Ankara Challenges Who Issues Sea Warnings Off Kastellorizo

The second Greek NAVTEX southeast of Crete extended the survey warning until 6 November. It asked passing ships to keep two nautical miles away from the vessel.

Ankara answers NAVTEX southeast of Crete

Turkey responded on Wednesday morning with a new warning from its Antalya station. It said the surveys take place “with the consent of the Republic of Türkiye” on what Ankara considers its own continental shelf.

To back its position, Ankara cited a unilateral letter that Turkey sent to the United Nations in March 2020. It also dismissed the Greek notices as “unfounded claims” and insisted that its earlier warning remains valid.

The KOBI RUEGG continues its planned survey. It had applied to Greek authorities for permission before starting work.

This is not the first such clash this month. Earlier in October, Athens rejected a similar Turkish survey notice in the region.

Why Athens is watching the cable row

Turkish media identify the cable as the East to Med Data Corridor (EMC), in which Greece’s PPC holds a 25% stake. The project also forms part of the wider India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor.

However, the bigger concern for Athens lies nearby. The French-flagged Abeille Marengo is due to issue its own NAVTEX southeast of Crete within days, as it resumes surveys in almost the same waters.

That ship has reached Greek waters to survey the route of the Great Sea Interconnector, the power link meant to connect Crete and Cyprus. As a result, Greek officials are watching closely for any Turkish reaction.

A NAVTEX is an automated maritime safety broadcast. However, Athens and Ankara often use rival NAVTEX southeast of Crete and elsewhere to push competing claims at sea.

Source: Proto Thema

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