The objective of this paper is to throw some light on the profession of Maritime interpreters and their almost “forgotten task”, so referred to by Santoyo (2003). To that end, a brief historical review is carried out, together with a presentation of this legal figure that was created specifically by the Spanish Code of Commerce. Special attention is paid to the work done by these professional translators and interpreters within the context of maritime transportation, characterised by its multicultural and multilingual nature. Information on the identities of such interpreters and the work done by them in some Spanish ports is also presented.