Former Costa del Sol fishing boat forms part of humanitarian aid flotilla off coast of Gaza
Until just a few months ago, the Estrella y Manuel was a fishing vessel that operated for many years from the harbour in Caleta de Vélez
Eugenio Cabezas
Vélez-Málaga
Thursday, 2 October 2025, 11:01
An old fishing boat from Caleta de Vélez on the eastern Costa del Sol is part of the flotilla heading for Gaza. The Estrella y Manuel was sold a few weeks ago without its rigging or nets and taken to Barcelona.
On Wednesday 1 October the Global Sumud Flotilla entered waters near the Gaza Strip. Among the fleet of 44 vessels is the Estrella y Manuel which until just a few months ago was a fishing boat that operated for years from Caleta de Vélez harbour.
The vessel, 17.4 metres long and with 160 horsepower engines, was sold by its owners, a family from Vélez-Málaga, just a few weeks ago and it sailed to Barcelona as part of the deal.
The buyers paid around 250,000 euros for the old fishing boat, from which they removed the equipment and nets, as their intention was to convert it into a vessel for transporting humanitarian aid and people.
