We expect them to attack the ports they want, when the timers are set, and if they win they reset timers to their liking. A port conquest should always favour the defending nation, having the port timer in the holding faction's prime time functions as that advantage.
Taking a port should be difficult, we get no assistance from Spain when we attack Spanish ports, as it should be. That works both ways.
tl/dr Adapt, play the damn game as it exists and stop pissing and moaning.
Note to devs: maybe make Spanish capital in the far northwest gulf, just a thought