Royal Decree Real Decreto 848/2026 of 21 October 2026 was published in the Boletín Oficial del Estado on 22 October 2026. It regulates the direct award of state grants to promote access to maritime professions and preserve maritime cultural heritage. The Ministerio de Transportes y Movilidad Sostenible justifies the measure on the grounds of securing practical training in Spain’s merchant fleet (Marina Mercante) and continuing restoration projects already under way.
A key element is the continuation of a grant scheme for onboard placements for students on nautical courses. The industry association Asociación de Navieros Españoles (ANAVE) will receive a total of one million euros. The funding is intended to compensate shipping companies for additional costs incurred in providing the mandatory sea time required by aspiring officers. The decree cites the ongoing decline in the national merchant fleet, shortages of onboard training places and the need for qualified personnel.
The decree also provides for two individual grants of 50,000 euros each: Fundación Correíllo La Palma will receive support for work on the historic steamship “La Palma”. The association ALBAOLA will receive funding for reconstruction and restoration projects in traditional Basque shipbuilding. Both grants are justified by the recipients’ specific expertise in the respective projects, as they are responsible for planning, implementation and subsequent use.
The legal basis for direct awards is Article 22.2.c) of Ley 38/2003 on subsidies, which allows exceptions in the public interest, for social or humanitarian reasons, or in other specially justified cases. The decree refers to budgetary and legal reviews by the Ministerio de Transportes y Movilidad Sostenible, including opinions from the State Legal Service and budgetary oversight. It also cites relevant Marina Mercante regulations.
In the short term, the aim is to secure additional onboard training places and stable funding for ongoing restoration work. In the medium to long term, the measure aims to strengthen a national pool of maritime expertise and improve public access to maritime cultural heritage. The legality of direct awards depends on a consistently rigorous justification of the exceptions under subsidy law; reviews by the Tribunal de Cuentas and parliamentary scrutiny remain possible.
Editor: Phillipe Schmidt-Araguin (Article created with AI assistance).