Two Bahraini ships violated Qatari territorial waters, the Qatari Interior Ministry accused Wednesday in a statement, in a rare incident in the Gulf where Doha is under an embargo from its neighbors.
For Bahrain, its two ships, used by the coast guard, were unjustly intercepted.
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Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt imposed an air, sea and land embargo on Qatar in June 2017, deeming Doha too close to Iran and radical Islamist groups, which Qatar denies.
None of these countries allow its ships to pass through Qatari territorial waters, and similar bans exist for their planes or vehicles.
Tensions are mostly visible through official statements or in the media, but concrete incidents remain rare.
"
The Department of Coast Guard and Border Security attempted to contact the Bahraini operating room to ask why two boats were in Qatari waters
," the Qatari interior ministry said in a statement.
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Qatari authorities were unable to reach their Bahraini counterparts, the statement said, and the captain of one of the boats reported that mechanical difficulties caused it to deviate into Qatari waters.
The boats have requested permission to return to Bahrain, and Qatar has organized their return, Doha adds.
According to the Bahraini Minister of the Interior, the interception of the boats "
by Qatari ships violated regional and international agreements
".
Bahrain does not specify whether its boats were in Qatari waters but has indicated that it will report the incident to the Gulf Cooperation Council, of which both states are members.
