MADRID, August 7. /TASS/. The Spanish Navy has strengthened its presence in Ceuta with the arrival of the frigates Santa Maria and Navarra, which are already on duty in the city’s southern bay as part of an emergency plan activated by Spain’s Defense Ministry to address the migration crisis, El Mundo reported.

The two frigates joined the patrol vessel Rayo and a logistics support ship that docked in Ceuta’s port on Thursday. According to the newspaper, the deployment aims to enhance control over Ceuta’s waters and support military personnel.

At the end of July, tens of thousands of irregular migrants reached Ceuta by swimming or on foot, bypassing the breakwater separating the city from Morocco. Spanish authorities put the number of migrants who crossed the Ceuta border at between 50,000 and 60,000. Morocco’s Interior Ministry said that about 40,000 people had attempted to cross the border toward Ceuta and more than 1,100 toward the other autonomous city, Melilla.

Earlier, Cadena Ser radio reported, citing Spanish intelligence services, that the organizers of the mass entry of migrants into Ceuta could attempt another influx before August 15.