Ports of the State has started the processing of the Exploitation and Port Police Regulation following the meeting held today with the most representative union organizations of the sector. The initiative complies with what is provided in the Consolidated Text of the Law of the State Ports and the Merchant Navy and aims to provide the state-owned port system with a systematic, updated, and homogeneous regulatory framework that regulates the main dimensions of port activity.
The new Regulation will address the functioning of port services, the use of public domain, security, protection, and operations, among other relevant issues for the exploitation of Spanish ports. Additionally, it will incorporate a model of port ordinances that will serve as a reference for the 28 Port Authorities of the system for the development of their specific regulations in each facility.
During the last few months, Ports of the State has worked on drafting an initial text, incorporating the contributions made by the Port Authorities in the different consultations carried out and maintaining a continuous dialogue with the union organizations. According to the public body, this process has allowed reaching a widely shared starting point, without prejudice to the improvements and adjustments that may be introduced throughout the processing.
The preliminary text of the Regulation will be sent to the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility for the continuation of its processing. From that moment on, the Ministry will collect the relevant reports, particularly from the Ministry of the Interior and the General Directorate of the Merchant Navy, and will proceed with the corresponding procedure until its final approval.
The Regulation comprehensively regulates the main dimensions of port activity. Specifically, it addresses the use of the port public domain, the conditions for access and permanence in the service area, the management and control of maritime and land traffic, and the applicable regime for ships' operations in port. It also develops the organization and functioning of general services, maritime signaling, and, notably, the port police service, clarifying its functions, scope, and coordination with other competent authorities.
The text also incorporates provisions on security, protection, and prevention of pollution, along with the operational framework applicable to activities such as the supply of fuels —including liquefied natural gas (LNG)—, electrical supply to ships at the dock, and other operations related to port exploitation.
Among the novelties of the Regulation is the creation of a Monitoring Commission as a consultative and technical coordination body between Ports of the State and the Port Authorities, with participation from the most representative union organizations of the sector. Among the functions of this Commission are facilitating a homogeneous implementation of the new regulatory framework, monitoring its practical application, identifying incidents, and promoting the exchange of criteria and the formulation of improvement proposals across the state port system.
The Monitoring Commission is expected to begin its work in the coming months, in parallel with the processing of the Regulation, in order to anticipate technical issues and favor an orderly application from its entry into force.
Ports of the State indicates that the objective of the new Regulation is to guarantee the legal security of the port system within the framework of its management model, in an increasingly demanding geostrategic and economic context. The body believes that this regulatory framework will help to improve the resilience and response capacity of Spanish ports while enhancing their competitiveness through a stable, predictable regulatory environment adapted to the new challenges of the sector.