Last Saturday, June 27, the Official State Gazette published an update to the ban on cruises in Spain that had come into force on March 13 but had lapsed with the end of the state of alarm on June 21.
This new prohibition, however, provides that the Director General of the Merchant Marine may lift it, at the request of State Ports and in accordance with the Ministry of Health, for the entry of specific ships or for a group of them as part of an itinerary through one or more ports.
In practice, this means that the procedures for lifting the ban are formalized, and it also opens the door to more broadly authorizing cruises by one or more ships in one or more ports. This lays the groundwork for cruise lines wishing to resume operations by submitting a comprehensive health and safety plan, allowing them to obtain authorization for multiple ships and port calls, thus providing legal certainty to their restart plans.
