Ibiza is not simply a nautical destination. It is the Spanish location where the concentration of high-value yachts and superyachts per kilometre of coastline during the summer season has no equal in the entire western Mediterranean outside Monaco and Antibes. Between June and September, the Port of Ibiza, Marina Botafoch and Marina Ibiza host a fleet of internationally flagged superyachts — Cayman Islands, Malta, Marshall Islands, Gibraltar, Panama — whose owners are offshore entities with no assets in Spain beyond the vessel itself.
The season lasts sixteen weeks. By the end of September, within barely two or three weeks, practically the entire fleet leaves Ibizan waters in a mass exodus towards the Atlantic, Caribbean or Mediterranean refit yards. If action is not taken before that exodus, the opportunity is lost — not until next month, but until the following season.
Unpaid charter hire is the most frequent maritime claim in Ibiza. The island is Spain's largest superyacht charter market in July and August, with weekly contracts under MYBA forms reaching tens of thousands of euros per week. When the charterer fails to pay, the owner holds a maritime claim that allows yacht arrest.
Unpaid wages, seasonal bonuses and repatriation costs for yacht and superyacht captains and crew are among the most serious and frequent cases at the end of season. Crew maritime labour claims are privileged claims under Article 11 of the Geneva Convention 1999 and the Maritime Navigation Act, with priority over other claims.
Marinas, bunker suppliers and provisioning companies hold maritime claims that allow arrest. Vessels preparing to leave Ibizan waters at season's end is the critical moment to act.
Most superyacht charter contracts in Ibiza are under MYBA form governed by English law with LMAA or LCIA arbitration clauses. Yacht arrest in Spain is fully compatible with London arbitral proceedings. We handle the arrest procedure in Ibiza and coordinate with our London correspondents when required.
Ibiza has no dedicated Commercial Court. The competent court is the Commercial Court of Palma de Mallorca — at Carrer dels Bastions 15, 07003 Palma — with jurisdiction over the entire Balearic archipelago. The Maritime Captaincy of Eivissa/Formentera — Accés Molls Nord s/n, 07800 Eivissa — physically executes the immobilisation order. Minimum security: 15% of claimed amount. Spanish courts do not accept P&I Club letters of undertaking unless expressly agreed.
Do you need to arrest a yacht or superyacht in Ibiza or Formentera?
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