A Dutch ship which offers women around the world abortions has reportedly been escorted from Moroccan territorial waters after it was denied access to a harbour.
Women on Waves, the Dutch group which organises visits by the 11-metre Langenort, said Moroccan authorities searched the vessel in the harbour town of Smir before escorting it out to sea.
The group claimed it had denied access to the ship that was docked in the town for "several days", after initially saying it was due to arrive there on Thursday.
The Moroccan interior ministry said the vessel had left the harbour, but claimed it was a diversion to distract attention from the failure of the real abortion ship to make port.
The ministry said it was "just a yacht with two Dutch citizens on board" and said it had arrived in Smir on September 2.
In a statement, it added: "The two Dutch citizens raised a banner on Thursday afternoon in a sign of solidarity with the boat in question, to try to deflect the media attention from, and cover up the failure of this operation."
Earlier, Women on Waves had claimed the Moroccan navy was blocking the arrival of the ship at its first Muslim country.
Abortion is illegal in Morocco, a relatively conservative Muslim society, and the health ministry had said the ship was not authorised to operate in its territory.
Hundreds of people gathered in Smir to protest against the vessel's visit.
Demonstrators shouted slogans and waved banners reading "life is a divine gift that must be preserved", according to the MAP news agency.
In the past 11 years, a Women on Waves ship has visited Ireland, Poland, Portugal and Spain, sparking protests in each country from pro-life groups.
Security forces were still restricting access to the harbour - around 25 miles east of Tangier.
Women on Waves estimates that between 600 and 800 illegal abortions take place every day in Morocco, but only 200 of them are done properly.
Rebecca Gomperts, the group's founder, said illegal abortions cause the deaths of 78 women in Morocco a year on average.
The activists said the ship will stay near Morocco while they plan their next move.
