It is a matter of weeks. The transfer of Maritime Rescue powers to the Basque Government, formalized through Royal Decree 175/2026 and scheduled for next October 1, has set off alarm bells among maritime communities and within Spain’s nautical safety sector. The transfer of responsibility for directing, coordinating and planning emergencies in Basque internal and territorial waters breaks the principle of unified command that governed the Sociedad de Salvamento y Seguridad Marítima (SASEMAR). An analysis prepared by expert Fernando Novoa Sanjurjo, former technical director of the Xunta de Galicia’s Search and Rescue Service and a retired lieutenant commander, described the measure in Defensa.com as “one of the biggest blunders that could have occurred in the maritime sphere.”
The Breakdown of Unified Command at Sea
The framework resulting from the agreement set for this autumn fragments the management of the Basque coastline between two separate operational structures: the regional administration will coordinate rescues within the territorial sea, while the state will retain oversight of waters beyond it. This duplication of powers creates a technical paradox that Novoa Sanjurjo describes as a tragic scenario. “As of next October 1, there will be two Maritime Rescue services along the Basque coast: one coordinating emergencies within the territorial sea and internal waters, and another coordinating emergencies beyond those waters,” the specialist warned, adding that this lack of coordination will lead to “operational dysfunction, delays in responses, increased costs, disputes over jurisdiction, errors and a loss of quality.”
The Basque decentralized model contrasts with the system once implemented by the Galician Coastguard Service, which was designed on the non-negotiable premise of unified direction for emergencies. “Emergency operations had to be under a single command. I defended that position at the time and I continue to defend it now,” said the retired lieutenant commander. He also criticized the fact that the Basque transfer includes an initial financial compensation of more than €6.3 million, a reduction in the regional quota and the assumption of the Red Cross agreement for the use of seven vessels previously financed by the state. “They are being given the responsibility, the management of seven Red Cross vessels paid for by SASEMAR, and a little money to get started. Kafkaesque, whichever way you look at it,” Novoa Sanjurjo stated.
The Historic Gap in State Action Along the Coast
The controversy has its roots in the decision taken in 1986 to reject the creation of a unified Coast Guard corps (FUVIMAR), an option defended at the time by the Navy to integrate maritime rescue and law enforcement missions. Instead, the administration divided responsibilities between the civilian Merchant Marine authorities and the Guardia Civil Maritime Service. According to the former Galician rescue director, this dispersal of resources caused the Navy to lose 37% of its vessels between 1990 and 1994 as a result of budget cuts, while an inefficient structure was created that was unable to contain security challenges in southern mainland Spain and the archipelagos.
The transfer of powers has faced outright opposition from the main bodies in Spain’s maritime sector, including the Official College of Merchant Marine Officers (COMME), the Association of Nautical and Fisheries Graduates (Aetinape), the Royal Spanish Naval League and various trade union organizations. All the entities agree that fragmenting rescue authority definitively prevents Spain from establishing a comprehensive Coast Guard service modeled on those of the United States, the United Kingdom or Canada.
The Latent Threat to Lives at Sea
The erosion of the principle of a single financial structure and unified command within SASEMAR is creating direct concern about the effectiveness of rescue operations. In a hostile environment such as the sea, where delays of just a few minutes in decision-making can determine the survival of crews and the containment of polluting spills, the overlapping of administrative boundaries introduces an unnecessary risk factor.
“We are governed by a political class that clearly subordinates the general interest to the particular interests of its political and personal selfishness,” Novoa Sanjurjo concluded when assessing the impact of the regulation, stressing that “SASEMAR works well” and that “there is no operational or any other objective reason that justifies this transfer.” The entry into force of the transfer is causing alarm in the maritime sector over the prospect of a fragmented model that places the distribution of powers ahead of the safety of human life at sea.
The article The Legal Dismantling of Maritime Rescue Begins Region by Region—and the Canary Islands Will Be No Exception was first published on canarymaritime.com.
