Spain's sea rescue service now bills for technical assistance
A new tariff order for Salvamento Marítimo, Spain's state sea rescue service, has applied since 1 September 2026. Rescuing people remains free of charge, while the service now bills technical help such as a tow after engine failure.
Law NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH
Spain's transport ministry published Orden TRM/844/2026 in the Boletín Oficial del Estado, the official state gazette, on 8 August 2026. It took effect on 1 September 2026 and replaces the tariff order from 2013. It sets what Salvamento Marítimo charges for its services.
Saving human life at sea is expressly excluded from the tariffs. Technical assistance requested by an owner is not, for example when a yacht with a failed engine is towed into port. That work is charged by the hour according to the unit sent out.
The figure circulating in the press is 16,572 euros per hour. That is the rate for a helicopter. For towing boats, the annex to the order sets separate maximum rates graded by length, and they sit far below that figure. SegelReporter, a German sailing news site, describes the helicopter number as carrying more weight in headlines than in practice.
The change matters for anyone cruising the Balearics, the Canary Islands or the Spanish mainland coast. An owner who asks for a tow after a breakdown, with nobody on board in danger, should expect an invoice and think about who pays it before setting out.
What this means for owners
The order changes nothing in an insurance contract, but it can change the size of the bill after a simple engine failure. The question to put to your insurer is whether towing and salvage costs are included when there was no accident, only a machinery breakdown, and up to what limit. Sailing yachts and motor boats cruising Spanish waters are most exposed, as are charter yachts, where it pays to agree beforehand who covers the cost of a tow. It is a short conversation to have before the next trip south.
Our view as NAMMERT, not part of the news. Your own policy wording decides.
Where this comes from
- Source: Boletín Oficial del Estado, Orden TRM/844/2026
- Source: SegelReporter
The text is our own; the sources supplied the facts and figures, not the wording.
