Ship Arrest in Spain

We apply for the arrest or preventive attachment of your cargo vessel, yacht or superyacht — or manage its immediate release — in any Spanish port. Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

A ship arrest — also known as vessel arrest or preventive attachment of a ship — is a judicial interim measure that allows the holder of a maritime claim to secure payment by immobilising the vessel in the port where it is found. It is, in practice, the most effective tool in maritime law to pressure the debtor and force a negotiation or payment of the amount owed.

The reason this measure is so relevant in maritime trade is clear: vessels are high-value mobile assets that stay in port for very short periods, operate under flags of convenience and their owners or managers are frequently located in jurisdictions different from those where the breach occurred. If action is not taken when the vessel calls at port, the opportunity is lost.

At Vectoris Legal we are ready to react from the first contact. We analyse the viability of the arrest, prepare the judicial application and file it before the competent court in the shortest possible time — usually within hours. The key is speed and knowledge of the procedure.

Legal Framework for Ship Arrest in Spain

Spain has a solid and up-to-date regulatory framework for ship arrest, combining international law and national legislation:

• International Convention on Arrest of Ships (Geneva, 1999), in force in Spain since 2011. The central instrument determining which claims allow arrest and which vessels may be subject to the measure according to their flag.
• Maritime Navigation Act (Law 14/2014), establishing the substantive and procedural regime applicable to ship arrest in Spain, including the minimum security deposit required from the applicant — never less than 15% of the claimed amount.
• Civil Procedure Act (Law 1/2000), governing the interim measure procedure before the commercial courts.

Maritime Claims that Allow Ship Arrest

The Geneva Convention 1999 establishes a broad catalogue of maritime claims. The most common in our practice:

Cargo and Freight Claims

• Loss, damage or delay in delivery of goods
• Unpaid freight or deadfreight
• Demurrage
• Deviation expenses

Contractual Claims

• Breach of charterparties (voyage charter or time charter)
• Unpaid vessel hire and ship management contracts

Supply and Service Claims

• Unpaid shipyard repairs
• Bunker supply
• Ship provisions and victuals
• Unpaid port services

Other Maritime Claims

• Salvage and general average
• Environmental damage and collisions
• Crew accidents and personal injury
• Unpaid crew wages

How We Handle Ship Arrest: Step by Step

Step 1 — Urgent consultation

You contact us by phone or email. We immediately assess the nature of the maritime claim, the identity and flag of the vessel, its position in port and the legal viability of the arrest. If viable, we proceed at once.

Step 2 — Preparing and filing the application

We draft and file the arrest application before the competent Commercial Court. We provide the supporting documentation and assume full procedural representation from the outset.

Step 3 — Court order and immobilisation

The court issues the arrest order, conditional on the applicant providing security. Once security is lodged, the Maritime Captaincy executes the immobilisation order. The vessel is detained in port. From that moment, every hour counts for the debtor.

Step 4 — Negotiation and release

We assist our client throughout the negotiation of substitute security, aiming to obtain maximum protection for the claim in minimum time, while keeping the main proceedings on track.

Release of Ship Arrest: We Also Act for Shipowners

If your vessel has been arrested in Spain and you need to release it urgently, we act with the same speed. We negotiate the substitute security before the competent court and coordinate with the Maritime Captaincy to execute the release in the shortest possible time.

To release an arrested vessel, the defendant must provide security before the court — by bank transfer or guarantee from a Spanish bank. Spanish courts do not accept P&I Club letters of undertaking unless there is express written agreement between both parties.

If the arrest was applied for without sufficient grounds or in an abusive manner, we advise on claiming damages against the applicant.

Yacht and Recreational Craft Arrest in Spain

Yacht arrest and recreational craft arrest is a specific practice that Vectoris Legal has developed as its own area. Spain — with over 8,000 km of coastline, world-class marinas and its position on Mediterranean and Atlantic sailing routes — is a particularly useful jurisdiction for yacht arrest. For more information, see our page on specialist yacht and nautical lawyers in Spain.

Large sailing yachts, superyachts and recreational craft registered under international flags are frequently the subject of these claims. The arrest of a yacht in Spain can be executed within hours. We act in marinas, yacht clubs and commercial ports throughout the Spanish coast for both arrest and release of yachts, regardless of size and flag.

We Act in All Spanish Ports

The arrest of ships and yachts in Spain requires presence and capacity to act the moment the vessel is in port. Vectoris Legal covers the entire Spanish coastline without exception:

• Atlantic and Cantabrian coast: Algeciras, Cádiz, Huelva, Seville, Málaga, Bilbao, Santander, A Coruña, Ferrol, Vigo, Gijón, Avilés, Pasaia.
• Mediterranean coast: Barcelona, Tarragona, Castellón, Valencia, Alicante, Cartagena, Almería, Motril.
• Balearic Islands: Palma de Mallorca, Mahón, Ibiza, La Savina (Formentera).
• Canary Islands: Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Arrecife, Puerto del Rosario, San Sebastián de La Gomera, Santa Cruz de La Palma.

If you locate the vessel in a Spanish port and need to act immediately, call us: +34 608 225 745 — available 24/7.

International Coverage: We Arrest Vessels Outside Spain

When the vessel is outside Spain, or when the best strategy involves arresting the ship in another jurisdiction, Vectoris Legal can coordinate that action through its international network. We have collaboration agreements with law firms specialising in international maritime law in Rotterdam, London, Hamburg, Piraeus, Singapore, Hong Kong, New York, Miami and Dubai.

We Act in All Spanish Ports — City Pages

We have dedicated pages with specific information on the competent court, the Maritime Captaincy and the local practice for each major Spanish port:

• Ship and yacht arrest in Barcelona — Port of Barcelona, Marina Port Vell, MB92, superyachts and container vessels.
• Ship arrest in Tarragona — Industrial port, bulk carriers, tankers and chemical tankers. LMAA arbitration coordination.
• Ship and yacht arrest in Valencia — Valenciaport, Marina Juan Carlos I, liner services and container demurrage.
• Yacht and superyacht arrest in Palma de Mallorca — Club de Mar, Puerto Portals, Port Adriano and all Balearic marinas.
• Yacht and superyacht arrest in Ibiza — Marina Botafoch, Formentera anchorages. We act before end-of-season exodus.
• Ship arrest in Algeciras and the Strait of Gibraltar — Hub, bunkers, transit vessels. We act within hours.
• Ship and yacht arrest in Alicante — Port of Alicante and Costa Blanca: Dénia, Jávea, Altea, Torrevieja.

Why Vectoris Legal for Ship Arrest in Spain

• Real specialisation in maritime and transport law as the firm's core activity, not an occasional practice.
• Available 24/7, 365 days a year: emergency line: +34 608 225 745.
• Full coverage of the Spanish coast and active international network in the major shipping centres worldwide.
• Both sides of the procedure: we act for claimants seeking arrest and for shipowners needing release.
• Boutique firm. Direct contact: the partner responsible for your case handles it from the first call. No intermediaries.