Spain–Morocco: A Numbers Battle Rages Over Naval Forces

Moncloa.com puts Spain’s naval fleet at 84 ships and Morocco’s at ten, while GlobalMilitary figures reported by Bladi.net count 106 Moroccan vessels against 84 Spanish ones. The discrepancy stems from differing categories: the Moroccan tally includes 86 patrol boats and six frigates, while Spain’s figures also include support and training ships. On October 12, Pedro Sánchez acknowledged that Moroccan vessels had entered waters claimed by Spain without authorization; El País reported incidents on July 30 and 31 and in early August, with a collision narrowly avoided. Spain retains significant military capabilities, including AEGIS-equipped F-100 frigates, submarines and amphibious assets, and is preparing to receive F-110 frigates.