Grupo Servicio Marítimo

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Civil Guard patrol boat

The Grupo Servicio Marítimo (SEMAR) of the Guardia Civil is Spain's national coast guard .

SEMAR's mandate is limited to all police tasks in the area of ​​Spanish territorial waters. The Servicio de Vigilancia Aduanera is responsible for all customs matters . SEMAR supports the national sea rescue organization Sociedad de Salvamento y Seguridad Marítima or Salvamento Marítimo (SASEMAR) in emergencies at sea. The coordination of all SAR areas lies with SASMAR, which also operates several Maritime Rescue Coordination Centers (MRSC).

Around 1,100 officers serve the SMEAR and it operates a fleet of 67 patrol boats and speedboats.

Galicia special case

The Autonomous Region of Galicia has had its own coast guard, the Servizo de Guardacostas de Galicia, or Guardacostas de Galicia for short , since 2004 . The authority works on behalf of the Galician parliament and fulfills the tasks of the water police, sea rescue and fisheries supervision as well as maritime environmental protection ( MARPOL ). The Guardacostas de Galicia has a fleet of more than 20 ships and three helicopters. They are stationed in Viveiro , Ferrol, A Coruña , Muxía , Porto do Son, Ribeira, Vilagarcía de Arousa, Pontevedra and Vigo .