A Spanish warship with its guns manned on Sunday called British Gibraltar waters "Spanish territorial waters" as it ordered commercial ships anchored in the area to leave, the Press Association (PA) reported.
The news agency reported that Royal Navy vessels were deployed in response to the incident and that boats ordered to "leave Spanish territorial waters" remained at the port as ordered by the Gibraltar Port Authority.
"There is only nuisance value to these foolish games being played by those who don't accept unimpeachable British sovereignty over the waters around Gibraltar as recognised by the whole world in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea," PA reported a spokesman for the British territory's government as saying.
Gibraltar, a tiny piece of land on the southern tip of Spain and under British control for 300 years, is a major bone of contention between London and Madrid.
"It seems there are still some in the Spanish navy who think they can flout international law," the spokesman was reported as saying.
"This probably accounts for the state of extremism of some parts of the Spanish political spectrum these days," the spokesman added.
A statement released by the Gibraltar government said: "After being challenged by the Royal Navy, the Spanish warship sailed slowly along the Gibraltar coast with its weapons uncovered and manned," PA reported.
The territory's government "is verifying every aspect of the incident in order to ensure that appropriate action is taking as soon as possible," the statement was reported as saying.
