The meeting covers subsidies for scheduled services, inspection and enforcement figures, and proposed legislation affecting the sector.
DID YOU LIKE THIS CONTENT? WELL... YOU HAVE ALL OF OUR FULL PROGRAMS HERE!The Balearic Islands Maritime Transport Board met on Thursday the 12th of November for the first time during the current parliamentary term at the headquarters of the Ministry for the Sea and the Water Cycle. The session addressed fare subsidies for scheduled maritime transport, reductions in certain port charges, inspection and enforcement activities, proposed national legislation and compliance with the requirements for operating tourist and scheduled maritime transport services.
The Directorate-General for Ports and Maritime Transport reported that, as of the 9th of November, it had processed 53 subsidy claims this year totalling €22,387,984.80, covering 2,030,187 tickets. The claims relate to discounts applied between the second quarter of 2025 and the second quarter of 2026. An increase in the initial allocation of €14,040,783 has been requested to cover these payments from the 2026 budget.
Since July 2023, the Directorate-General has processed 150 claims totalling approximately €56.5 million, covering around 5.8 million tickets. These subsidies reduce the cost of travel on scheduled services for Balearic Islands residents.
The meeting also addressed the extension of reductions in certain port charges into the third quarter of 2026. The measure maintained a 50% reduction for shipping companies operating scheduled services to ports under regional jurisdiction.
As of the 9th of November, the Directorate-General had initiated 111 administrative penalty proceedings in 2026, involving a total of €394,600.06. Five of these cases concern tourist passenger services operating without having submitted the required prior notification or with a notification that was no longer valid. Since 2023, 542 administrative penalty proceedings have been initiated, involving approximately €1.5 million.
Regarding inspections, the Directorate-General issued 44 inspection reports in 2023, 61 in 2024 and 99 in 2025.
The Board reviewed updates to the Balearic Register of Shipping Companies, which the Directorate-General has published on its website for tourist maritime transport since 2025. The register provides information on operators, vessel names and registration numbers, the islands where they operate and their routes. It currently lists 105 vessels, of which 57 operate in Mallorca, 10 in Menorca, 22 in Eivissa and 16 in Formentera.
Document checks carried out in recent years have resulted in 76 vessels being removed from the register. Of these, 50 were registered under Spain’s List Six vessel registration category and were not eligible to provide this service. The remaining 26 failed to meet other legal requirements. The most common shortcomings include insurance policies that do not meet the required conditions and the absence of berthing authorisation at designated passenger embarkation and disembarkation points.
The Ministry informed the Board of the representations submitted to the Directorate-General for the Merchant Marine regarding the draft regulations on ship and boat flagging and registration. The Balearic Government has requested that List Eight, which identifies vessels used for public services such as surveillance, inspection and emergency response, be retained or replaced with an equivalent category. It has also requested that the existing qualification exemption scheme remain in place and that temporary changes of use should not be permitted as a means of undertaking boat charter activities in the Balearic Islands, in recognition of the region’s powers.
Established in 2008, the Maritime Transport Board is the Balearic Government’s forum for consultation, debate and advice on maritime transport. It is chaired by Juan Manuel Lafuente, Minister for the Sea and the Water Cycle, with Toni Mercant, Director-General for Ports and Maritime Transport, serving as vice-chair. Its membership includes representatives of the four island councils, the Directorate-General for the Merchant Marine, the Balearic Port Authority, chambers of commerce, business organisations and trade unions.
