The European Commission has authorized a Spanish state aid scheme of 74 million euros aimed at maritime transport companies affected by the rising fuel prices caused by the Middle East crisis. The green light, communicated this Monday from Brussels, allows the Government to grant direct subsidies to companies operating regular services between the Spanish mainland and non-mainland territories.
The scheme is supported by the Temporary Framework for State Aid for the Middle East Crisis, known by its acronym in English as METSAF, which the Commission itself adopted on April 29, 2026. This instrument enables member states to temporarily compensate certain extra costs arising from the crisis, always within the limits and conditions set by the framework itself.
The beneficiaries will be the companies that provide regular maritime transport services for passengers, goods, and roll-on/roll-off transshipment on specific routes connecting the Peninsula with Ceuta and Melilla, the Balearic Islands, and the Canary Islands, as well as certain inter-island routes. Thus, it refers to the cabotage lines that support the supply and mobility of non-mainland territories, with ferry and roll-on/roll-off cargo ships concentrating most of the activity.
The aid will be structured through direct subsidies. The amount each company receives will be calculated based on actual fuel consumption, determined by a fixed coefficient that will depend on the gross tonnage of the ship and the nautical miles sailed on subsidizable routes. This method ties the amount to the size of the vessel and the distance actually traveled, rather than distributing the allocation in a flat sum among the operators.
The scheme will cover the additional fuel costs incurred between March 21 and September 21, 2026, as a result of the crisis. The aid will not exceed 70% of that extra cost, meaning that part of the increase will continue to fall on the accounts of the shipping companies.
Fuel is one of the main expense items for a regular line shipping company, along with crew and maintenance, and its price quickly translates to the operating costs of services that operate on fixed frequencies and tight margins. In connections with non-mainland territories, moreover, the supply responds to service obligations and itineraries that do not easily accommodate reductions when the cost of bunkering rises.
To give the green light to the measure, the Commission has evaluated it according to community rules on state aid and, in particular, Article 107, paragraph 3, letter c), of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which allows member states to support the development of certain economic activities under certain conditions. It has also applied sections 1 and 2.3 of the METSAF, which regulate this type of compensation.
The community executive has confirmed that the scheme meets the conditions set in that temporary framework. Among other elements, it has assessed that the aid will be granted based on a scheme with a clear estimated budget and that its purpose is to temporarily support the development of companies with activity in the maritime transport sector.
Brussels concludes that the measure is necessary, appropriate, and proportional to facilitate the development of an economic activity and does not alter the conditions of exchanges contrary to the common interest. This triple examination determines whether a public aid can coexist with the competition rules of the internal market.
The Commission’s authorization is the step that enables the granting of the aid, but the management corresponds to the Spanish authorities, who must structure the call and verify the declared consumptions by each company within the reference period. The 70% limit and the calculation based on gross tonnage and sailed miles serve as the main control elements for expenditure.
The METSAF was adopted three months ago and functions as the legal umbrella under which member states can process compensations associated with the Middle East crisis. Measures covered by temporary frameworks of this type have an expiration date and a limited scope of application, both in the affected sectors and in the period of costs that is compensable.