SASEMAR updates its service tariffs: what Shipowners have to expect
The issuance of Order TRM/844/2026 of 27 July, approving the tariffs for services provided
by the Maritime Safety and Rescue Society, by the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility
brings about a significant regulatory update concerning the financing of maritime safety services in
Spain. This Order is due to enter into full force and effect on 1 September 2026.
SASEMAR (also known as Salvamento Marítimo) traces its origins back to 1992, when it
was founded under the overall coordination of the General Directorate of the Merchant Navy
(DGMM) to protect human life at sea and preserve the marine environment, amongst other functions.
The agency exists on constitutional basis for the exclusive competence granted to the State over ports
and airports under Article 149, and currently runs 20 Coordination Centers (CCS), employs a staff of
over 1,500 professionals and operates 87 maritime and aerial combined-units along its coastline.
Former tariffs were established in 2013 through Order FOM/1634/2013 of 30 August and no
revisions had been made since then. Therefore, the costs previously passed on to those responsible
for the incidents remained throughout the years well below the actual operating costs required to
provide these services. This gap was driven not only by the consequent increase in the costs of the
equipments, but also by other multifactorial causes, such as inflation, fuel prices and rise of minimum
wage. This has now changed, and after more than 10 years this new Order introduces a substantial
overhaul while retaining its key fundamentals.
First of all, the rescue of human lives at sea remains excluded from the Order TRM, and new
tariffs will likewise not apply to certain activities such as maritime traffic control and assistance in
specific regulated areas (Traffic Separation Schemes, Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas etc.), support
provided to public administrations, operations for the salvage of goods that fall within the scope of
the International Convention on Salvage (1989) and the Maritime Navigation Act (2014) or training-
related activities delegated by the maritime administration. Hence, this leave us mostly with third-
party requests, vessel salvage, commercial towing and measures for the prevention, controlling and
mitigating marine pollution. In other words, the stated exclusions are underpinned by the underlying
rationale that some public-interest activities should not be subject to charges, with the aim of
ultimately imposing as few financial obligations as possible on the primary recipients.
Secondly, the calculation method continues to charge on a cost-based approach, taking into
account the staff employed, the units deployed from the very start of the service until the return to
their base, and the time spent on each service, without any intermediaries. In a similar way, both
Orders contemplate the payment deadline within 30 working days from the date on which payment
obligation is notified to the liable party, not from the date of the provided service. Failure to fulfill
this will trigger interest buildup to the original amount and the possibility of SASEMAR taking legal
action to pursue debt recovery.
For instance, a remarkable rise comes from an aerial resource as the helicopter, whose hourly
rate is now set at 16,572 EUR. It is important to highlight that as to pollution-related matters the
wording for the activities covered is broad, in a sense that the list is expressly non-exhaustive
(“amongst others”), allowing SASEMAR to pursue recovering of a full range of expenses that may
arise while carrying out the operations. Private companies could also take part in the situation by
request of Port Authorities if SASEMAR resources are in need of external support, intervention that
will only increase the final amount even more. Moreover, something else to be taken into
consideration is the fact that some type of vessels and cargo are more likely to require an extensive
pollution response in the event of casualty, particularly chemical tankers or those carrying dangerous
or hazardous cargo. For those potential liable parties (shipowners, shipping companies and other
operators) all of the aforementioned should not be overlooked due to the risks of greater financial
exposure in case of an incident directly or indirectly linked to them.
All things considered, the economic impact on the parties involved in the operation of vessels
navigating Spanish waters or under the Spanish flag is uneven because of the wide range of casualty
scenarios. To sum up, the biggest concern is how quickly liabilities can escalate and whether and to
what extent the costs are covered. Thus, shipowners should review without delay their P&I policy
coverage and applicable limits, identify vessels in their fleet or cargoes that might entail a higher
casualty risk and adjust their risk assessments to ensure effective and prompt casualty intervention,
which could actually make the difference between a minor incident or a major cost overrun.