Athens Issues Counter-Navtex For Turkish Vessel Off Kastellorizo
Greece issued a counter-navigation warning after Turkey sent a research vessel to waters near Kastellorizo island, with Athens rejecting Ankara's authority to issue directives in Greek-controlled areas.
As Stavros Ioannidis reports in Kathimerini (EN), the Turkish hydrographic station in Antalya issued a navigational directive on September 1 seeking to reserve an area under Greek jurisdiction for water-column research by the R/V TÜBİTAK MARMARA through September 15. The research activity involves scientific study of the water between the sea surface and the seabed.
The Hellenic Navy responded swiftly, rejecting the Turkish navigation warning on the grounds that it was issued by an unauthorized authority. Greek officials emphasized that the area in question falls within the Greek continental shelf and that only the competent Greek hydrographic station in Heraklion, Crete, has the authority to issue navigational instructions for the region.
According to sources, a Hellenic Coast Guard vessel has been deployed to the area and is monitoring the Turkish research ship’s movements after it departed from the Turkish port of Marmaris. Greek naval units are also operating in the broader region.
Jurisdictional Dispute Over Navigation Authority
Athens has clarified that while the area is not a defined exclusive economic zone, the core issue concerns Turkey’s unauthorized issuance of navigational directives in Greek-controlled waters. Greek officials noted that the Turkish vessel is conducting surface water research rather than seabed surveys, but maintain that the navigation warning itself represents an infringement on Greek maritime authority.
The incident unfolds against a backdrop of escalating tensions between Greece and Turkey over multiple maritime disputes. Ankara’s recent declaration of maritime parks has drawn strong objections from Athens, which characterizes the move as a violation of international law and the law of the sea.
Broader Regional Tensions
The confrontation also comes amid Turkish opposition to Greece’s maritime spatial planning initiatives and the proposed Greece-Cyprus-Israel electricity interconnection project, known as the GSI. Turkey has signaled its disapproval of the ambitious energy infrastructure project, which would link the three nations’ power grids.
Just hours before the latest incident, Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis issued a firm statement making clear that Greece will not seek Turkey’s approval to move forward with the GSI project, underscoring Athens’ determination to pursue its strategic energy partnerships regardless of Turkish objections.
The deployment of the Turkish research vessel represents another flashpoint in the ongoing maritime disputes between the two NATO allies, who have repeatedly clashed over territorial waters, airspace, and resource rights in the Eastern Mediterranean.
With information from Kathimerini (EN)
