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Diari de Catalunya

Abandoned Boats Problem Worsens in Catalan Marinas

Lack of generational handover and economic difficulties among owners are driving up the number of unmaintained vessels, creating environmental and operational risks.

Image of an abandoned boat in a marina.
IA

Image of an abandoned boat in a marina.

The growing number of abandoned boats in Catalan marinas, particularly along the Barcelona coast, is raising concerns due to lack of space, pollution risks, and slow bureaucratic processes for their dismantling.

The issue of abandoned boats has become one of the main headaches for Catalan marinas. This phenomenon, which lacks an official census to quantify its true extent, manifests as a triple crisis: space saturation, the danger of polluting spills, and regulations that can extend dismantling procedures for up to two years.
Catalonia, with nearly 30,000 moorings, is one of the most affected areas in the Mediterranean. Abandonment typically occurs with small and medium-sized recreational vessels, mostly under Spanish and French flags. Marinas report that the procedure to remove them is excessively long and costly.
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"It's like having a parking lot where several people leave their car and disappear forever. You have a space occupied without being able to collect fees."

a representative from Marinas de España
This increase is attributed to the aging of owners and the fleet, as well as economic difficulties or a lack of generational handover. Owners stop paying mooring fees, and without maintenance, the vessels rapidly deteriorate, risking oil and fuel spills, damage to port facilities and other boats, and even sinking.
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"We have to do surveillance rounds to monitor these boats. When we see their waterline is below the water, we have to act."

the manager of the Consorci Port de Mataró
The Central Coast, stretching from Maresme to Garraf, is the most affected area, with up to 30 abandoned vessels in a single facility. Between 2020 and 2025, Ports de la Generalitat processed 68 abandonment files, a figure the sector considers far below reality. However, the administration has accelerated procedures, with eight new files opened during the first four months of 2026.
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"Ports dedicate many hours to processing and incur very high economic costs. We ask the administration for agile processes that can be completed in six months, both to guarantee port safety and operational efficiency. We need to find a way to prevent this problem from escalating."

the president of the Associació Catalana de Ports Esportius i Turístics (ACPET)
To expedite the situation, some ports propose waiving part of the debt for owners who agree to dismantle their vessel. The cost of dismantling, including fees and management, can exceed 4,500 euros for a small boat, in addition to thousands of euros in unpaid annual mooring fees.

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