The Despacho of a vessel refers in Spain to the maritime administrative control procedure in order to ensure that any civil vessel – including pleasure crafts – fulfils all the safe and manning, technical, legal, coding   and classification requirements together with the correspondent minimum crew qualifications for the navigation planned. This procedure is carried out in each Capitanía Marítima – or its correspondent district – which are the Maritime Authorization administrative bodies that belong to the Dirección General de la Marina Mercante (Spanish Merchant Marine General Direction). Despacho is in simple words the Maritime Authority Permit for a vessel.

The regulation in this matter is included in the Ruling: Reglamento sobre el despacho de buques, issued by Orden de 18 de enero de 2000, developped by the internal Fomento Ministry Order: Instrucción de Servicio número 3/2000, de 21 de marzo.

The procedures depend on the type of vessel:

1. Exempted from Despacho are sport sailing vessels recorded in List 7 organized in sailing federations, crafts under 6 m LOA, rowing or scull crafts and other navigation crafts that are nor obligatory to be recorded and matriculated in the Spanish Ships´ Registry. Vessels under 6 m LOA recorded in the Ship´s Registry will only need Hoja de Asiento (Ship´s Registry recording Certificate) and Certificado de Navegabilidad (Seaworthiness Certificate).
2. Pleasure crafts between 6 and 24 me LOA must file the Despacho application in the Capitanía Marítima or Distrito Marítimo. In the Balearics we have two Capitanías: Palma with four districts: Palma, Alcudia, Mahón y Ciutadella) and Ibiza (with three districts: Ibiza, San Antonio and Formentera). For these boats the documents that grants the dispatch procedure are the Rol de Despacho y Dotación (safe manning certificate) or Licencia de Navegación (navigation license). The obligatory informatiion to be supplied in the application shall include:

• Details of the vessel
• Details of the owner
• Private or comercial coding
• Minimum Sea Manning Skipper and crew qualification for a certain kind of navigation
• Inspection seaworthiness and surveyence certificates
• Radio, life rafts and safety equipments certificates

For all pleasure crafts recorded in List 7 – private use – the Despacho is granted for a certain period of time depending the deadline of the Seaworthiness certificate (Certificado de navegabilidad) through the    Licencia de Navegación, normally valid every 5 years, with intermediate inspection update. Since Real Decreto 1435/2010 de 5 de noviembre and for new recorded vessels e a single document the Certificado de registro español/permiso de navegación shall substitute the Licencia de Navegación (always, when no profesional crew on board).

For commercial coded vessels recorded in List 6 , that is charter activity, or when professional crew on board the Despacho is granted by the Rol de Despacho y Dotación that Captains and/or owner will have to stamp and update their and when the compulsory inspection is carried out.

In both cases the Despacho will need also update and stamp when change of ownership of the vessel, important refit woks, change of motor, professional crew changes and when Minimum Manning Certificates or Seaworthiness Certificates expires.

Vessels over 24 m LOA are considered for Despacho purposes as merchant shipping (buque) and need for each navigation or in case of charter activity they need to renovate the Despacho at least once each quarter.

The Despacho It is not always an easy burocratic procedure and although the national maritime administrative legislation is the same it is true that the different Capitanías Marítimas or Distritos Marítimos have different interpretations on the requirements for the same situations.