Changes in the professional nautical qualifications

To be able to convert your calling, what you like to do most and what makes sense to you, to your modus vivendi: that your passion becomes your profession. If we talk about the sea, this target is not so far off with the new legislation. Up until now, to be professionally dedicated to sailing required a PPER (certificate for professional skipper of a recreational vessel), although like in many walks of life, a rule does not necessarily protect against unqualified practices. 

For this reason, and also to get rid of the limitation that prevented many boat owners and captains to get paid for their services and get by economically, a legislative reform was carried out. We would like to draw your attention to one of the principal organizations and a voice of authority in this process. If you have a PPER, you are a captain or a boat owner and you would like to dedicate yourself to, for example, charters, please listen to the conversation we had with the president of the Spanish Nautical Trade Association (ANEN), Carlos Sanlorenzo.

Complete interview (Spanish)

ANEN Nautical Congress – the creation of the brand “Spain of the sea”

Regarding the analysis and evaluation of the current situation, the expert panel at the Congress came to the conclusion that in order to penetrate the public opinion it is necessary to update the x-ray of the sector, adjust the business models of the companies of the sector and adapt new concepts and strategies when it comes to sales and relationships with clients and sailing enthusiasts and to add new forms of communication to promote the leisure services and nautical tourism.

The nautical sector is in a favorable situation to take advantage of the achievements of the recent years. The relationship with the Administration has taken a 180º turn, a proof of this is the involvement in the Congress of the three key administrations whose support the sector is dependent on; Ministry of Public Works (State Secretary of Infrastructures, Transport and Housing and Direction General of the Merchant Marine), Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism (Turespaña) and Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports.

The nautical market in Europe is showing a timid growth, supported by the positive figures in Germany and Scandinavia and a slight recovery in Spain, as explained at the Congress by the general Secretary of EBI (European Boating Industry), Mirna Cieniewicz.

Read complete article (in Spanish) at: Passió per la Mar.

Key moments of the III Nautical Congress and access to the presentations

All the presentations that took place during the congress can be found on the website of ANEN. Just click on the link “Presentations III Nautical Congress”.

Deciphering the latest developments at the III Nautical Congress

The countdown has started for the meeting, which will take place in the Telefónica Tower in Barcelona  (Diagonal 00, Placa d´Ernest Lluch Martin 5),  from 11th to 12th of March.

After the inauguration by the State Secretary of Infrastructures, Transport and Housing, Julio Gómez-Pomar, the III Nautical Congress will embark on the analysis of the data from different perspectives: the Spanish market, actions aimed at obtaining legislative and fiscal improvements and revelation of disciplines and sub-sectors capable of boosting the current image of Spanish yachting.

All this will be debated during the first day of the event, between the representatives of public institutions, Turespaña, European Boating Industry (Mirna Cieniewicz, Direction General of the Merchant Navy, the Professional Organisation of the Tax Inspectors (Julio Ransés Pérez Boga), Ministry of Education (Soledad Iglesias Jiménez), and between marketing and sales experts, nautical designers (Iñigo Toledo, Juan Messeger) and boatyards (Diego Colon de Carvajal).

Once the current state of affairs has been debated, the following question is how the sector can optimize its capacity, products and potential?

 To look for answers and to plan strategies for the companies and organizations of the nautical sector, two round table discussions have been planned for the second day of the III Nautical Congress. Professionals from the media and marketing strategists will discuss and debate about actions and successful tools in other activities translatable to yachting.

New challenges 2015 / ANEN

Letter from the general secretary of ANEN:

As the year changes I would like to take the opportunity to pass you on behalf of the whole ANEN team our best wishes and our deepest gratitude for your support and your trust in our work as your representative.

We start from a point of having overcome the two most important challenges of the past year: the hard reality of the crisis and the updating of our legal framework, with the publication of the new General Law of Maritime Navigation - which recognises for the first time the recreational yachting as a separate nautical entity - and the reform of the nautical qualifications, which allows us to compete in improved conditions with our European counterparts.

Additionally, our capacity as the national association representing the industrial and entrepreneurial nautical sector has been strengthened by the influx of new members: 60 new associated companies and integration of new regional associations, like the Union of Nautical Companies from the Community of Valencia.

We have to take advantage of this inertia in 2015 and therefore can not miss any opportunity to face new objectives. Our experience in all areas of action and our representative weight towards the administration has grown and will continue growing if we keep going in the same direction under the banner of ANEN.

Some of the objectives have already started to take shape. As you know, on a legislative level we have started to work with Direction General of the Merchant Navy on the text to provide professional scope for the nautical qualifications.

Regarding employment, the future National Collective Agreement for the Nautical Sector, a project driven by ANEN, has already set up the initial negotiations, enabling us to continue the process until the constitution of the agreement. On top of that, in the coming weeks we will incorporate a Nautical Job Exchange into our website. 

On the other hand, we have signed an agreement with the Ministry of Education with an aim to create, under the counsel of ANEN, new competencies for professional training, specialised in the nautical sector.

And carrying on with the Nautical Congress, which has already consolidated itself as a reference point and a must for the tradespeople of the sector on a national level, we are already working on the organisation of the III edition, which will take place again in Barcelona, on the 11-12th of March.

With this brief review of our activities, I would like to reassert as the secretary general of ANEN and on behalf of the whole team at the Association, our gratitude and our excitement, hope and support for the next 12 months.

Carlos Sanlorenzo

General Secretary

The tax office wants to cash on the supeyachts

In the Balearic nautical sector one fright is followed by another. After the setback earlier this year with the increase of the lighthouse tax (also known as T0), which could easily add up to five million euros on the islands only, the tax office has now set the sights on the megayachts. The Balearic Islands figure as an international benchmark in this sector, but is now at risk of losing competitiveness and productivity in short term because of the latest interventions by the department lead by Cristóbal Montoro.

Little does it matter to be rid of the matriculation tax for the charter yachts, as the sector is now facing a new obstacle. The legal uncertainty provoked by the attempts to "cash on the megayachts" by the Palma Customs, as informed by the president of the Nautical Trade Association in the Balearic Islands (AENIB), Margarita Dahlberg:According to the complaint by AENIB, the Customs is charging a VAT of 21% of the value of a megayacht with a non-European flag that arrive in Palma from a non-European country of departure.

The Customs considers these arrivals as "irregular import, as their departure from or entrance to EU is not documented", and attempts to charge the VAT of 21% on the import of the vessel, warns Miguel Angel Serra, a member of the Garrigues law firm and an expert in fiscal issues, whose help the nautical sector has enlisted in trying to solve the problem.

The complete article in El Mundo.

Negotiations set up for the Collective Agreement for the Nautical Sector

Continuing with the plan initiated and coordinated by ANEN to develop a Collective Agreement for the nautical sector, a negotiating working group was set up last week. This group will continue developing the framework for  the document that will become a base of the said collective agreement.

In their meeting last week, the group established a schedule of actions to follow from now on, as well as strategic lines for the negotiations with the representatives of the workers, the main unions.

The commission, presided by ANEN, is planned to have a meeting with the principal unions in the coming weeks.

We will keep you updated about the evolution of the collective agreement. Achievement of an agreement will be a major milestone in securing yachting the status of an industrial and business sector.  

The recreational boat market maintains an average growth of around 10% so far this year

The recreational boat market in Spain, between January and November this year, has registered a total of 4.165 new registrations, which means an increase by 10,33 compared to the same period last year. 

During the month of November, the number of registrations was 172, almost identical to the situation in 2013, when 171 recreational vessels were registered.

This information is extracted from the "Recreational Market Report, January-November 2014", edited and analysed by ANEN on the basis of the information from the Directorate General of the Merchant Navy.

Nationwide information

By length, the segment of vessels above 16 m continues with a higher than average growth. In the period January-November 2014, 41 vessels above 16 m were registered, compared to the 29 registered up until November 2013, resulting in a growth of 41%.

The vessels between 12 and 16 m grow by 27,8%, with 92 registrations against the 72 in the same period last year.

The segment of 8 to 12 m, with 283 registrations up until November 2014 - compared to the 259 in the same period in 2013 - grows by 9,3%.

Lastly, the segment up to 8 m has 3.749 registrations in this period, a 9,8% more than in the same period in 2013 (3.415 registrations), being the most demanded size in Spain with a market share of 90%.

By provinces - the Balearic Islands, Barcelona and Cadiz are at the top of the recreational boat market, in this order.

The Balearic Islands, with the biggest market share (13,78%) grows by 26,7% with 574 registration up until November this year compared to the 453 in the same period last year.

Read the complete article by ANEN.

Anen Informs: Job offers for the new job exchange “Nautical Jobs”

As we announced during the ANEN Convention, which took place during the last edition of the Barcelona Boat Show, the Association is creating an online platform for management of a job exchange for the nautical sector, which will complement the work done by the Association for the future Collective Agreement for the Nautical Sector.

This platform will be incorporated in the website of ANEN, and once operative, you can add yourselves the job offers you wish to publicize. At the same time there will be a section “jobs wanted”, where the job seekers can upload their curriculum.

To start adding content to the job exchange, we request companies that currently have vacancies, to send us an e-mail (mar.lucena@thebestofpr.es), so we can upload the offers on the platform, which we plan to have operational in 2 to 3 weeks.

We need the following details:

Regarding the job offers:
* Position
* Location
* Type of job
* Job description

Regarding the company offering the job:
* Name of the company
* Company logo
* E-mail
* Website (optional)
* Slogan of the company (optional)
* Video (optional)
* Twitter account (optional)

in the following links you can see some drafts for the new ‘Nautical Jobs’ – platform:
http://www.anen.es/anadir-demanda-de-trabajo/
http://www.anen.es/ofertas-de-trabajo/

ANEN survey about the participation in the 53rd edition of the Barcelona Boat Show

As the 53rd edition of the Barcelona Boat Show is past us, ANEN thinks it is the right moment to reflect over organization, activities, visitors etc. in order to gain more information about how the exhibitors and visitors alike experienced their participation, and thus make improvements in the future.

You can participate in the survey through this link.

Next edition of METS is approaching with increased Spanish participation

The next edition of METS will take place from 18th to 20th of November. METS is the biggest exhibition of equipment, materials and systems for recreational yachting in Europe, and will have an increased Spanish presence.

The following  Spanish companies will present their wares at the show: AUTONAUTIC INSTRUMENTAL, TERMOMETROS ANVI, ECO-SISTEMS WATERMAKERS, REMOLCS CORTÉS, IMPORTACIONES NÁUTICAS, INDUSTRIAS PLÁSTICAS CASTRO, MARINE BUSINESS, SADIRA DE CARLOS FUSTÉ, SOLÉ DIESEL, TOSCANO, RECAMBIOS MARINOS, JOTUN, TEAK SOLUTIONS, NAUTI PAINTS, E-TECH MARITIM,  STAR MAR CABOS REGATTA, TALLERES LUIS PIÑEIRO, FUTURE FIBRES, SEMPRE ABRIL, OSSIAN FASTENERS  and  S. FOLCH.

The companies MARINE INSTRUMENTS, 2MPRO, QUER, CALYPSO MARINE INSTRUMENTS  and DALMAU & HOLMAN GROUP participate for the first time in this event that congregates over 1.500 exhibitors from all over the world.

In METS 2014 the nominees for the DAME awards for nautical innovation are the flexible adhesive that doesn´t require curing in dry conditions, called DR. SAILS, developed by the Spanish company SAILING TECHNOLOGIES, as well the propeller protector THURSTOR, which is sold in Europe by BAITRA. Both products are among the 45 most relevant nautical innovations according to the jury of these prestigious awards that are going to be published on the 18th of November.

The ANEN team, formed by José Luis Fayos, the technical consultant and responsible for internalization, and Lara Hidalgo from the legal department, coordinate the mission and participate in METS until its closure on the 20th of November, helping out the Spanish exhibitors and representing the Association in various events and celebrations. All the associates are welcome to use the stand of ANEN for their meetings or any other things they may need. As in previous years, the stand is located in the Spanish hall, the exact direction being 01.181.

Once the exhibition is closed, we will publish the degree of satisfaction by the Spanish participants of METS 2014.

Source: ANEN.

ANEN invites the biggest trade unions to the negotiations over the Collective Agreement for the Nautical Sector

According to the plans ANEN revealed during the recent Barcelona Boat Show, and now that the negotiations have been set up for the nautical sector, ANEN has invited  the largest trade unions (UGT and CCOO) to initiate the negotiations for a nationwide Collective Agreement for the Nautical Sector.

Ahead of this, the representatives of the participating companies and the general secretary of ANEN, Carlos Sanlorenzo will meet - during the month of November - with the consultancy that the Asociation habitually collaborates with and which will be in charge of the technical part of the negotiation. The reason for this preparatory meeting is to form the proposals and to define the strategy for the negotiation.

In this context it is worth mentioning the report that the above mentioned consultancy has prepared, based on a questionnaire directed to all the associates. The report presents an in-depth analysis of the current employment situation of the sector, including the weaknesses and needs in this area. The report is available to all associates upon request to ANEN.

Source: ANEN.

The nautical sector needs a nationwide marketing plan

To develop a nationwide marketing plan for the nautical sector with involvement of all the components of the sector: companies, professional sailors, institutions, media, administration.... is fundamental in order to create a "culture of the sea" that is so far inexistent in Spain. This is the principal conclusion drawn from a debate "The sea welcomes you", organized by ANEN during the Barcelona Boat Show, reuniting prominent figures from olympic sailing, professional sailors, journalists, entrepreneurs and representatives of the Administration.

Amongst the activities organised by the Spanish Nautical Trade Association during the 53rd Barcelona Boat Show, the debate "The sea welcomes you" marked a start of a closer cooperation between the various segments of the nautical sector to seek and support real alternatives to promote collectivisation of the sector.

"Sailing is fun" pointed out Theresa Zabell, the chairwoman of the Ecomar Foundation, in her contribution to the debate. With this message as a focal point of the communication, junior sailing programmes as much as various other activities at sailing clubs and other entities need to be developed. "This is the way to correct the perception many people in Spain have of sailing as something very expensive and complicated", stated the double olympic sailing champion.

ANEN starts to work on a future Collective Agreement for the nautical sector

A future Collective Agreement will be an essential tool for the collective bargaining and for the relationship between the employees and the employers in the nautical sector, up until now regulated by various, separate collective agreements for professionals.

In tandem with the development of the collective agreement, ANEN will also create a job exchange for the nautical sector, with an aim to promote the job offers of its associates and to help the workers of the sector find employment.

The creation of a specific collective agreement for the nautical sector in Spain is one of the pending tasks that ANEN, in its role as employers´ association, started to work on a few months ago.

Up until now, the professionals who work in the nautical sector have their relationships with the companies in the sector regulated through various non-specific collective agreements, according to the occupation they are specialized in. This results in more complicated collective bargaining than in other professional sectors, both for the employees as for the employers.

To find a solution for this situation and to progress in establishing a more professional and competitive nautical sector both in our country and in Europe, ANEN will first prepare a basic document for the negotiations between the companies and the representatives of the workers, which will  eventually get developed into the Collective Agreement for the Nautical Sector.

“The most representative industrial and business sectors of the Spanish economy have their own collective agreements as necessary tool for demonstrating their professionalization and their day-to-day reality for the society and for the administration. The nautical sector should also respond to this necessity”, states Carlos Sanlorenzo, the general secretary of ANEN.

Job exchange for the nautical sector

As has happened with the collective agreement, ANEN has detected another need in the sector, and will go on to create a job exchange, so that companies and workers of the nautical sector  can have access to a platform of supply and demand of jobs, dedicated exclusively to the nautical sector.

The job exchange under development will, to begin with, contain job offers from the associate companies of ANEN, as well as applications of people looking for work or wishing to change jobs.

The new platform will be located on the website of ANEN (www.anen.es).

Source: ANEN.

The Royal Decree regulating the nautical qualification published in the Official State Bulletin (11.10.2014)

Last Saturday, on the 11th of October, Royal Decree 875/2014 regulating the recreational nautical qualifications was published in the Official State Bulletin (BOE). As we have been informing in the recent days from ANEN, the reform of the nautical qualifications is now a reality.

The speeding up of the application of the new regulations is also proceeding satisfactorily, as the category “exempt from qualifications” is valid immediately, and the Navigation License is valid in 20 days.

You can read the complete text published in the BOE, by clicking here.

Source: ANEN.

The recreational craft registrations increase by 12,80% during the first three quarters of the year

During the September 2014 the increase is 6,20% more than in September 2013.

- From January to September 2014, 3.756 recreational craft have been registered in Spain, 426 more than in the same period last year.
- By the length of the yachts, a stronger growth is noticeable in the segments above 12 m. The registrations of vessels above 16 m increase by 48%, and the segment between 12 and 16 m grow by 28,80%.

- The Balearic Islands register the biggest growth up to September this year - 35,66%, with 582 registrations, followed by Barcelona with a 23,60% growth and 419 registrations.

The recreational craft market in Spain shows a total of 3.756 new registrations in the period between January and September this year, which indicates a growth of 12,80% compared to the same period last year.

The month of September, which marks the end of the nautical summer season in Spain and therefore the closure of the transactions taking place in the summer,  shows also positive numbers with a 6,20% growth compared to September last year. In September a total of 240 vessels were registered compared to the 226 last year.

The information is extracted from the "Recreational Market Report. January-September 2014" edited by ANEN and based on the information collected by Direction General of the Merchant Navy.

Nationwide statistics

By length, the vessels above 16 m continue growing most in 2014, with 37 new registrations between January and September, 48% more than in the same period in 2013 (25 registrations). The segment between 12 and 16 m shows a second largest increase (28,80%), with 85 registrations, compared to the 66 in the same period in 2013.

13,27 % growth in recreational craft registrations between January and August

During the months of July and August, the recreational boat market shows an average growth of 9,5 %, which together with the seasonal peak in June (28,9%) produces a positive balance for the current season with an average growth of 15,9% compared to the same period in 2013.

By the end of August this year, 3.516 recreational vessels have been registered in Spain, 412 more than in the same period last year.

The charter market is showing a continued growth with a 62,68% increase so far this year, with 340 registrations compared to the 209 between January and August last year.

In the total of the year so far, the registrations of all boat lengths grow, the above 16 meter category leading the pack with +47,83%. The boats up to 8 meters are the most sought after, with a market share of 90,13% and growth by 13,22%  from January to August this year.

The recreational craft market has been growing throughout the summer season, a situation the nautical sector has not experienced  since 2007.

The demand for recreational craft during the months of June, July and August 2014 reflect a seasonal trend with an above the average growth in June (28,9%), when the vessels bought in preparation for the season  in previous months (April and May) are registered. The months of July and August show a more moderate growth of 9,5% on the average.

This information comes from the Recreational Market Report January-April 2014, based on the information collected by the Directorate General of Merchant Navy and published by the Spanish Nautical Trade Association.

The Balearic Islands allow charter for non-EU flagged boats

After various meetings between the relevant authorities and the Nautical Trade Association in the Balearic Islands (AENIB), supported by ANEN, the Directorate General of the Ports and Airports, as part of  the Department of Tourism and Sports, has published a Circular Letter 1/2014, dated 26th of August, which allows charter activity for non-EU flagged boats, provided an authorisation is applied for beforehand. The circular specifies the requirements the non-Eu flagged vessels have to comply with in order to get a recreational charter license.

Non-EU flagged yachts will be permitted to provide nautical charter if they are above 14 m in length and it can be demonstrated that EU flagged charter yachts with similar characteristics are not available. The owners of the yachts have to comply also with the rest of the industry requirements, like fiscal obligations and issues related to safety at sea etc. The obtained charter licence will have to be renovated on an annual basis.

With a publication of the above mentioned document the door is finally open  for the non EU flagged yachts to charter in the Balearic Islands, which up until now was not allowed, and which surely will generate more nautical activity on our islands.

Bear in mind that EU flagged yachts now only need to present a statement of compliance without having to apply for an authorisation beforehand, as a result of the Instruction 1/2014, dated 24th of January this year. It was another modification carried out by the Directorate General, implementing the Directive 123/2006 CE by the European Parliament and Council, dated 12th of December, relating to services in the internal market for which necessary general regulations are established in order to facilitate freedom of location for service providers and free movement of services  for the majority of economic activities.

ANEN coordinates again the joint participation in METS 2014

Since the year 2007, ANEN, with the support of ICEX, coordinates the joint participation of the Spanish nautical industry in METS (Marine Equipment Trade Show), the biggest European fair dedicated exclusively to the equipment industry of the nautical sector, organised by RAI in the Dutch city of Amsterdam.

In 2013, METS logged 21.500 visitors  and 1.500 exhibitors from over 100 countries. In the Spanish Pavilion participated, under the umbrella of ANEN; Termometros Anvi, Remolcs Cortés, Sadira de Carlos Fusté, Solé Diesel, Eco-Systems Watermakers, Importaciones Náuticas S.A, Industrias Plásticas Castro, Marine Business S.A, Star Mar, Toscano, Cies Technologies, Onesailor, S. Folch and Stop Gull.

The next edition of METS is going to take place  from 18th to 20th of November 2014, and ANEN is already busy organising the Spanish contingent for this event, which has the application period for participation open.

ANEN formulates another binding consultation about the “Matriculation Tax” to the Directorate General of Taxation

The Directorate General of Taxation in their ruling on the 11th of July to a new binding consultation formulated by ANEN, in Collaboration with Miguel Angel Serra from Garrigues Lawyers and AEGY (The Spanish Superyacht Association) has clarified various confusing questions related to the “Matriculation Tax”, in cases  where a company or a person, resident in another member country (other than Spain)  charter in Spain a boat registered in an EU country (other than Spain).

In the consultation ANEN formulates various questions related to three distinctive scenarios:

- Regular charter in Spain by a non-resident company or person during the summer seasons.

- Occasional charter in Spain by a non-resident company or person  during some weeks in the summer.

- Occasional charter outside of Spain by a non-resident company or person, with boarding and disembarkation of passengers outside Spain.

In the following we detail the conclusions of the Directorate General of Taxation in relation to each of the questions formulated by ANEN:

- Regular charter in Spain by a non-resident company or person during the summer seasons.

The Directorate General of Taxation considers the owner of the vessel to have an establishment in Spain, which means that he/she should apply for an exemption according to the article 66.1.g) - exemption is granted in the Law 38/1992 for vessels that are dedicated exclusively for charter activities - but the owner can not use the vessel in Spain despite being a non-resident, as he/she is considered to have an establishment in Spain.

- Occasional charter in Spain by a non-resident company or person  during some weeks in the summer.

The charter boat registrations grow by 53% in Spain during the first half of the year

The registrations of charter boats have grown by 53% in the first half of the year, compared to the same period in 2013, according to a statement by the Barcelona Boat Show, based on information provided by the Spanish Nautical Trade Association (ANEN).

In a statement to the media, they detailed that the boats up to 8 m are the most sought after and occupy an 84,11% share of the charter boat market. According to the experts, this important growth is partly due to the crisis, but also because the nautical culture is improving, which means that renting  - called charter in the sector – is becoming an increasingly popular option.

Generally, the future of the sector is looking bright, as long as it is more economical and beneficial to rent a boat rather than buy one.

According to the person responsible for charters at Bavaria Spain and exhibitor at the Barcelona Boat Show, John Rossbach, "the national charter market is very seasonal and the Spanish people charter boats only during the summer vacations".

Balearic Islands is the region with the largest charter season – from April to October – thanks to a presence of foreign clients, mainly from Germany and the Nordic countries.

When it comes to the client profile, Rossbach thinks that "it is very diverse, from couples and families to groups of friends or work colleagues on incentive travel", and the most popular charter type is one or two weeks on bareboat charter, either on a sailing or motor boat.

Read the complete article in  La Información.