The Russian scientific vessel entered the southwestern limit of the waters under national jurisdiction on the morning of May 19, having carried out all its transit to the northern limit, today, off Caminha, the Navy said in a statement.

“These types of ships are used to collect and acquire data on resources existing in the waters and on the seabed and also serve, in some cases, to identify and map areas where submarine cables pass”, they highlighted.

The monitoring which lasted approximately 100 hours, was carried out through the NRP Zaire, the NRP Viana do Castelo, and the Maritime Operations Center.

“The Navy, through these monitoring and surveillance actions, guarantees the defense and security of maritime spaces under national sovereignty or jurisdiction, in the protection of Portugal’s interests and, at the same time, contributes to ensuring compliance with international commitments assumed within the framework of the Alliance”.