Spain's seven navigation zones and where you may go
1The lesson in plain words
Spain sorts recreational waters into seven zones. Your boat's design category and the gear on board decide the zones it may use.
One rule book since 2021
Spanish safety rules for recreational craft are in Real Decreto 339/2021, in force since 1 July 2021. It replaced the old Orden FOM/1144/2003, which many books still quote. It covers boats from 2.5 to 24 m that carry no more than 12 passengers. It applies to Spanish-registered boats. It also applies to foreign-flag boats owned or used by Spanish residents while in Spanish internal maritime waters or territorial sea.
The seven zones
Zone 1 is unlimited. Distances are in nautical miles (NM). Zone 2 reaches 60 NM from the coast, zone 3 25 NM and zone 4 12 NM. Zones 5 and 6 allow 5 NM and 2 NM from a shelter or accessible beach. Zone 7 covers protected coastal waters: ports, roadsteads (sheltered anchoring areas), rías (tidal inlets) and bays. A shelter (abrigo) lets your boat take refuge and everyone get ashore.
Design category sets the ceiling
A boat bearing CE marking (the EU conformity mark) may use the zones of its design category (the EU rating of the wind and waves a hull is built for), if it carries the gear for the zone. Category A: zones 1–7. B: zones 2–7. C: zones 4–7. D: zone 7 only. A boat without CE marking uses the zone shown in its papers. Whatever the zone, never sail in wind or waves beyond the design limits.
Bathing zones near the beach
Where a bathing area is marked with buoys, recreational craft may not enter it. Launch and land only through the marked channels. Where the coast is not marked, the bathing zone is assumed to be 200 m wide off beaches and 50 m wide off the rest of the coast. Inside it, keep to 3 knots or less and discharge nothing.
Sewage
Untreated sewage: beyond 12 NM from nearest land. Sewage ground and disinfected by an approved system: beyond 3 NM. Empty holding tanks gradually while under way at 4 knots or more. An approved treatment plant may discharge outside zone 7 if its effluent has no visible floating solids or discoloration. Where discharge is prohibited, retain sewage for pump-out. Check local restrictions. For these limits, nearest land means the territorial-sea baseline, not necessarily the visible shoreline.
2Key data
- Zones 1–4 (from the coast)
- Unlimited, 60 NM, 25 NM, 12 NM
- Zones 5–6 (from a shelter)
- 5 NM and 2 NM from a shelter or accessible beach
- Zone 7
- Ports, roadsteads, rías, sheltered bays
- Design categories
- A: 1–7 · B: 2–7 · C: 4–7 · D: 7
- Unmarked bathing zone
- 200 m off beaches, 50 m elsewhere; max 3 kn
3Key points
- 1
RD 339/2021 (since 1 July 2021) sets zones and gear; Orden FOM/1144/2003 is repealed.
- 2
Zones 1–4 count from the coast (unlimited, 60, 25, 12 NM); zones 5–6 count from a shelter (5, 2 NM).
- 3
Design category A, B, C or D caps the zones a CE boat may use.
- 4
Keep out of buoyed bathing areas; at 3 knots or less within 200 m of an unmarked beach.
4Frequent mistakes
Wrong: Zone 5 means you may go up to 5 NM from the coastline anywhere.
Right: Zones 5 and 6 are measured from a shelter or accessible beach, not from the coast in general.
Wrong: A category C boat can sail in zone 3 if it carries a liferaft.
Right: Category C is limited to zones 4–7. Extra gear never lifts a boat above its design category.
Wrong: The safety gear rules are in Orden FOM/1144/2003.
Right: That order was repealed on 1 July 2021. The current rules are in Real Decreto 339/2021.
5Practice case & exam keys
Your CE category C motorboat would pass a point 15 NM from the nearest coast before returning to an unmarked beach. May you follow this route, and how should you approach the beach?
Show the answer
No. That point is beyond zone 4's 12 NM limit. Choose a route that stays within 12 NM of the nearest coast. Near the unmarked beach, the first 200 m count as a bathing zone: slow to 3 knots or less, watch for swimmers and discharge nothing. If the beach has a buoyed bathing area, stay out of it and use the marked channel.
Exam keys
- Zones: 1 unlimited, 2 = 60 NM, 3 = 25 NM, 4 = 12 NM, 5 = 5 NM and 6 = 2 NM from shelter, 7 = sheltered waters.
- Design category A: zones 1–7; B: 2–7; C: 4–7; D: 7.
- Unmarked bathing zone: 200 m off beaches, 50 m off other coast, 3 knots maximum.
- Sewage: untreated > 12 NM; approved grinding/disinfection > 3 NM; approved plant outside zone 7, with no visible floating solids or discoloration. Obey discharge bans. Empty tanks gradually under way at ≥ 4 knots.
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