Spanish maritime administration

The lesson in plain words

1. Reading the law names
   • The main law is the Ports and Merchant Marine Act.
   • Its Spanish name is Real Decreto Legislativo 2/2011, written RDL 2/2011.
   • An RDL is a decree with the force of law.
   • An RD (Real Decreto) is a royal decree.
   • The Maritime Navigation Act is Ley 14/2014.
   • The Reglamento de Ordenación de la Navegación Marítima, RONM, is RD 186/2023. 'Art.' means article.
2. The ministry
   • RDL 2/2011, art. 263 gives the transport ministry the rules for merchant shipping.
   • Fishing fleet activity and the fishing sector stay with the fisheries ministry.
3. An old name in the text
   • RDL 2/2011, art. 263 still says Ministerio de Fomento, but that ministry is now called Transportes y Movilidad Sostenible.
   • The article text was not updated for the new name.
   • The powers now sit with today's ministry, so read 'Fomento' that way whenever you meet it in RDL 2/2011.
4. The DGMM
   • Inside the ministry, the Dirección General de la Marina Mercante (DGMM) looks after merchant shipping.
   • In this unit, 'the maritime administration' means the DGMM and the Capitanías Marítimas, the local maritime offices.
   • The head of the DGMM, the Director General de la Marina Mercante, is also President of Salvamento Marítimo, Spain's public rescue body (RDL 2/2011, art. 271).
5. Marine civil servants
   • The Cuerpo Especial Facultativo de Marina Civil is a civil service corps attached to the ministry, in group A1, the highest civil-service group (RDL 2/2011, art. 278).
   • To join, you need a qualification from the list in that article.
   • Examples are a degree in nautical studies, a degree in naval machinery, or a title of Capitán (ship's master) or Jefe de Máquinas (chief engineer).
   • These are not Salvamento Marítimo staff, who work under employment law.

Key data

Key points

• RDL 2/2011 is the Ports and Merchant Marine Act; Ley 14/2014 is the Maritime Navigation Act.
• The RONM is RD 186/2023, the navigation regulation.
• Read 'Fomento' in RDL 2/2011 as today's Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility.
• The maritime administration means the DGMM and the Capitanías Marítimas.
• The Marina Civil corps are civil servants; Salvamento Marítimo staff are not.

Check what you have read

True or false?

Practice case & exam keys

Exam keys

1. 1RDL 2/2011: art. 263 ministry, art. 271 President of Salvamento, art. 278 Marina Civil.
2. 2DGMM: Dirección General de la Marina Mercante, inside the transport ministry.
3. 3Cuerpo Especial Facultativo de Marina Civil: civil service corps, group A1, listed qualifications (RDL 2/2011, art. 278).