New mooring rates in Gijón 2026: what shipping companies and shipowners pay

Key data

Shipping companies and shipowners operating regularly in the port of Gijón face a direct change in their costs: the Port Authority has reviewed the maximum rates applicable to the vessel mooring and unmooring service. The Resolution of 16 March 2026 (BOE-A-2026-8192), published on 13 April 2026, establishes the new limits that no service provider can exceed.

This update is not discretionary: it is part of the ordinary regulation of port services provided for in state ports legislation and requires both those providing the service and those contracting it to review their agreements and budgets.

What does this regulation establish?

The resolution publishes the review of the maximum rates applicable to the port service of mooring and unmooring of vessels in the port of Gijón, in accordance with the current Technical Specifications Document. The key points are:

• The limit amounts that service providers cannot exceed when invoicing are set.
• The framework is one of regulated competition: concessionaire companies can offer prices lower than the maximums, but never higher.
• Concessionaire companies providing the service are obliged to adjust their rates to the new published maximums.
• The measure is framed within the ordinary regulation of port services provided for in state ports legislation.

The resolution does not specify in its publication the specific amounts of each itemized rate. To consult the exact numerical values, it is necessary to access the full text available in the BOE.

Economic and operational impact

The impact of this update occurs at two differentiated levels:

For concessionaire service companies: they must review their pricing structure and ensure that no current rate exceeds the new published maximums. If any current rate exceeds the new limit, they must correct it immediately. Failure to do so constitutes a breach of the port regulatory framework.

For shipowners and shipping companies: the operating costs of calls in the port of Gijón are conditioned by these new amounts. Depending on whether the maximums rise or fall compared to the previous rate, the impact can be upward or downward on the operating account of each call. Companies with long-term contracts or framework agreements with service providers must verify whether such agreements remain valid under the new tariff ceiling.

Who does it affect?

• Concessionaire companies providing mooring and unmooring services in the port of Gijón: required to adapt their rates to the new maximums.
• Shipowners with vessels operating regularly in Gijón: will see the costs of each call modified.
• Shipping companies with regular lines or frequent traffic through the port of Gijón: must update their estimates of port costs.
• Shipping agents and consignees managing calls in Gijón: need to know the new maximums to correctly budget call expenses to their clients.
• CFOs and operations directors of companies with logistics activity in the port of Gijón: must incorporate the possible impact on their cost projections.

Practical example

A shipping company with regular traffic in the port of Gijón—for example, with several monthly calls of bulk carriers or general cargo vessels—has contracted the mooring and unmooring service with a local concessionaire company. Until now, the price per operation was negotiated within the previous maximums.

With the entry into force of this resolution, the concessionaire company must verify that its current rates do not exceed the new published maximums. If the new ceiling is lower than the current agreed price, the contract must be reviewed. If the ceiling rises, the concessionaire could—although not obliged to—adjust its rate upward to the new limit.

The shipping company, for its part, must request confirmation from its mooring provider of the applicable rates following the update and recalculate the annual cost of its calls in Gijón to update its operating budgets.

What should companies do now?

1. Access the full text of the resolution (BOE-A-2026-8192) to learn the exact amounts of each updated maximum rate.
2. Compare current rates with the new maximums: identify if any current rate exceeds the new limit and by what amount.
3. Review contracts and framework agreements with service providers or clients of the mooring service to verify their compliance with the new tariff framework.
4. Update port cost budgets for 2026, incorporating the possible impact of the tariff variation in each planned call in Gijón.
5. Confirm the exact entry into force date with the Port Authority of Gijón, given that it is not specified in the publication, to know from when the new maximums apply.

Official source