Owners in the Balearics who rent out their boats, as they are now allowed to under Spanish law, will lose the rights to moorings.
Being referred to as a 'nautical Airbnb', the Spanish law came into effect on Tuesday. The Balearic Government is strongly opposed to it (principally on safety grounds) and will counter the measure by prohibiting the commercial rental of private boats moored in ports that come under the regional authority, Ports IB. The measure will not affect the five state ports (Alcudia and Palma are two of these), as these are controlled by the Balearic Ports Authority (APB), the regional division of the State Ports.
The Spanish law directly conflicts with regulations the Balearic Government has been processing and which are due to come into force at the end of the current tourism season. These expressly prohibit the commercial rental of private boats and require charter companies operating in the Balearics to have a mooring point for the embarkation and disembarkation of passengers.
The regional Ministry of the Sea has preempted these regulations by announcing that commercial use of Ports IB moorings will constitute a serious infraction, leading to the opening of sanctioning procedures and the immediate termination of mooring concessions.
Ports IB says: "The moorings of directly managed ports are intended to maintain a balance between social moorings and lucrative moorings. Therefore, using social moorings for lucrative purposes distorts this purpose. The Balearic port planning model clearly distinguishes between private and commercial uses, as they entail different and often incompatible impacts and needs."