The paper reports that details of the alleged incidents have been forwarded to the International Maritime Organisation, the operators of the ships and the corresponding flag-states.

It said the names of the ships have been circulated to port officials across Spain and warned that the vessels face detention and large fines if they make a stop.

The blacklisted-vessels are described as a Panamanian-flagged product tanker and bulk carrier, a Maltese-flagged car carrier and Georgian-flagged general cargo ship.

The accusations reflect Spain's heightened surveillance measures employed in the wake of the Prestige tanker disaster and its acutely lower tolerance of marine polluters.

Last Friday Spain filed a lawsuit against the American Bureau of Shipping, which classed the Prestige as seaworthy, alleging that it had failed to inspect the tanker that caused Spain's worst environmental disaster.

The suit is seeking actual damages to be determined at trial, though it estimates those damages will exceed $700 million in losses Spain says it has suffered so far.

The lawsuit also seeks unspecified punitive damages.

Spain said in January it would cost the government at least one billion euros ($1.4 billion) to clean up the spill.

ABS said it will contest the suit "vigorously".