A Greek NAVTEX notice issued by the Lemnos station has announced that the cable ship Ocean Link will resume underwater c...

A Greek NAVTEX notice issued by the Lemnos station has announced that the cable ship Ocean Link will resume underwater cable maintenance operations in the northern Aegean starting September 13, working in waters northwest of Chios, between Chios and Psara. Passing vessels have been asked to keep a safe distance from the one-nautical-mile work zone centered at 38° 38.08' N, 25° 54.45' E. The Ocean Link's return is notable because Turkey has confronted the vessel twice in the Aegean during previous cable-laying missions. On January 2 of this year, while the ship was laying a fiber optic cable between Amorgos and Astypalaia, a Turkish frigate approached and radioed the Ocean Link demanding it halt operations, claiming the area fell under Turkish jurisdiction. The Greek frigate Kountouriotis was nearby and responded to the Turkish vessel while the Ocean Link continued its work undisturbed. Turkey later denied it had harassed the ship, but acknowledged it had been closely monitoring its activities. A second confrontation followed on May 13, this time between Astypalaia and Kos. A Turkish missile boat radioed the Ocean Link, again insisting the cable-laying zone fell under Turkish jurisdiction, even though the ship was operating in international waters. The Greek Navy frigate Adrias intervened and flatly rejected the Turkish claim. The Ocean Link finished that mission without interruption as well. Both incidents fit a broader pattern of Turkish challenges to Greece's authority to issue NAVTEX notices and conduct maritime operations in the Aegean. Ankara has been pushing those claims especially hard east of the 25th meridian, a stretch of sea where Turkey disputes Greek jurisdiction on a recurring basis. #Greece #Turkey #Aegean