Tomas Maestre Marina’s concession is due to expire next year

The owners of Puerto Tomas Maestre Marina in Murcia, Spain fear they will be left in limbo in 10 months’ time when their concession certificate expires on 23 April 2023.

The authorisation permitting boats to moor on this property, which was granted 50 years ago, expires in April 2023. Althought the Ministry of Public Development has announced its intention to renew the concession, the Association of Mooring Right Holders is concerned that time is slipping by and there has still not been any announcement of an extension to the current authorisation.

The Association wants the Regional Ministry to extend the current concession for another 20 years so as not to be in a precarious situation, and end up like the majority of marinas in Murcia, which in some cases have had their concession expired for up to 10 years, such as Los Nietos.

If that happens, there will only be three legally licensed marinas remaining in Murcia – Aguilas, Lo Pagan and Mazarron.

The 1,713 berths for mooring boats and yachts in the port, which is located in La Manga del Mar Menor, next to the Estacio bridge, make up almost 29% of the total mooring capacity on the Murcia coast.

Tomas Maestre Marina continues to be the most important port on the entire coastline after the cancellation of the Puerto Mayor project, which began to be built on the Mediterranean coast almost two decades ago.

Tomas Maestre currently employs 35 people and is home to a large number of hotels, as well as commercial and nautical supply businesses which would have to either close down or continue to operate without the requisite authoristation if the certificate is not renewed.