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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.<\/strong><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n On Tuesday, 27 October, the Heraklion station on Crete issued two navigational warnings. The first declared a Turkish notice on the ship\u2019s work \u201cnull and void\u201d.<\/p>\n According to the Greek warning, the Turkish notice came from an \u201cunauthorised station\u201d. In addition, most of its coordinates lie within the Greek continental shelf and exclusive economic zone (EEZ).<\/p>\n Read more: Ankara Challenges Who Issues Sea Warnings Off Kastellorizo<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Turkey responded on Wednesday morning with a new warning from its Antalya station. It said the surveys take place \u201cwith the consent of the Republic of T\u00fcrkiye\u201d on what Ankara considers its own continental shelf.<\/p>\n 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 \u201cunfounded claims\u201d and insisted that its earlier warning remains valid.<\/p>\n The KOBI RUEGG continues its planned survey. It had applied to Greek authorities for permission before starting work.<\/p>\n This is not the first such clash this month. Earlier in October, Athens rejected a similar Turkish survey notice in the region.<\/p>\n Turkish media identify the cable as the East to Med Data Corridor (EMC), in which Greece\u2019s PPC holds a 25% stake. The project also forms part of the wider India\u2013Middle East\u2013Europe Economic Corridor<\/a>.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n That ship has reached Greek waters to survey the route of the Great Sea Interconnector<\/a>, the power link meant to connect Crete and Cyprus. As a result, Greek officials are watching closely for any Turkish reaction.<\/p>\nAnkara answers NAVTEX southeast of Crete<\/h3>\n
Why Athens is watching the cable row<\/h3>\n