The Maritime Capitancies, dependent on the General Directorate of Merchant Marine of the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, carried out more than 3,000 inspections of vessels during the year 2025, according to the annual report published this Wednesday by the ministerial department. The figure covers different categories of control aimed at both safety of navigation and compliance with current environmental regulations in Spanish waters and ports.
Of the total inspections, the most significant by volume were the so-called Paris MoU inspections, a harmonized control mechanism among the countries signing this memorandum of understanding that allows for the verification of safety conditions of foreign-flagged merchant vessels arriving at ports or anchorage areas of the member States. In the case of Spain, 1,292 inspections of this type were completed throughout the past year, a figure that places the country among the top positions in the ranking of controls conducted by the States adhering to the agreement.
These inspections cover merchant vessels, roll-on/roll-off passenger ships — known as ro-pax — as well as high-speed passenger vessels in regular foreign service, a category that includes ferries and cruise ships. During the controls, inspectors from the Maritime Capitancies verify that the vessels have the safety measures required by international regulations to operate in European waters.
In terms of sustainability, the second most frequent type of inspections was related to the control of sulfur oxide emissions into the atmosphere. The Maritime Capitancies conducted 809 inspections and 285 fuel sample analyses to verify that vessels comply with the sulfur content limits established by European regulations as well as by the MARPOL Convention (International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The current regulation establishes that the sulfur content in the fuels used by vessels may not exceed 0.10% mass/mass in anchorage and in port, while in navigation the limit is set at 0.50% mass/mass. Of the inspections carried out, only seven non-compliances were detected, a figure that points to a high degree of compliance by shipping companies operating in Spanish waters.
Another significant chapter within the environmental inspections corresponds to the control of waste delivery from ships at port reception facilities. This inspection modality, regulated by the European Directive on waste delivery from ships and in force since 2022, aims to protect the marine environment from the negative effects of the waste discharges carried out by vessels using Spanish ports. During 2025, 685 inspections were completed in this category, with 25 non-compliances detected.
The ministerial report also includes control actions regarding compliance with ship recycling regulations, with 54 inspections, and those related to reporting greenhouse gas emissions, which totaled 77 controls. Both categories respond to the obligations arising from the European regulatory framework on maritime sustainability, which has progressively expanded the scope of requirements demanded from sector operators.
In addition to controls on foreign vessels and environmental inspections, the Maritime Capitancies carried out 95 inspections of the so-called 'White List', consisting of extraordinary recognitions of Spanish-flagged vessels. The aim of these controls is to improve the results of the Spanish fleet in the Paris MoU inspections, which contributes to maintaining a favorable assessment of the national flag in the context of the evaluation system that applies this memorandum of understanding to classify States according to the performance of their fleets.
The total number of inspections carried out during 2025 reflects the supervisory activity exercised by the Maritime Capitancies over maritime traffic operating in Spanish waters and ports. Spain, due to its geographic position as a mandatory passage point for the main maritime routes between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, registers a volume of vessel traffic that demands a constant deployment of inspection and control resources by maritime authorities. The ports of the Strait of Gibraltar, the Mediterranean facade, and the Atlantic terminals concentrate a substantial part of this inspection activity, which is carried out in coordination with international commitments undertaken by Spain in the framework of the Paris MoU and the IMO.