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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Mauritania
Index
The Mauritanian Navy was created on January 25, 1966, after
the extension of Mauritania's territorial waters from twelve to
thirty nautical miles. By 1972 the navy had one small patrol
gunboat and two small patrol craft that performed port control
and customs duties. In 1987 the navy had thirteen boats. Of these
boats, only eight were seaworthy, and the navy could send only
two vessels out to open water at a time (see
table 4, Appendix).
Mauritania's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) extended 200 nautical
miles out from the coast, but even if effective coastal
surveillance were possible, the navy's vessels would not be able
to control Mauritania's waters. Nouadhibou housed the major naval
base; Nouakchott housed a secondary base.
At the navy's twentieth anniversary celebrations in 1986, the
armed forces chief of staff announced that it would be
reorganized to improve efficiency. In 1987 observers believed
that the reorganized navy would consist of a joint operational
command, with the navy as the senior service, teamed up with the
air force, the Department of Fisheries, and the Customs Corps.
The highest ranking officer in the navy was a colonel.
Data as of June 1988
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