Court Suspends French Riviera’s Attempt to Ban Large Cruise Ships

The ongoing showdown over large cruise ships visiting the French Riviera took a further turn as the administrative court in Nice suspended the efforts of the local mayor to block large cruise ships. The court issued the temporary injunction after the government of the prefect petitioned the court to stop the actions of the mayor of Nice, who is also the regional president, and who had staged a confrontation with a large cruise ship anchored in the bay.

At issue is the impact of what the metropolis calls the “harmful effects of mass tourism.” Mayor Christian Estrosi highlights the impact of the “uncontrolled growth of cruise ship stopovers” on the local population. He cited the emissions from the ships, which he contends are impacting air and water quality.

Estrosi had gone out on a police boat on July 3 with TV cameras and stood yelling at the officers and crew of the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Voyager of the Seas. He demanded the ship depart immediately as it was violating an order he imposed as of July 1, capping the size of cruise ships visiting Nice and Villefranche. The master of the cruise ship refused to meet with the mayor, and the officers ignored him and motioned for him to go away when he attempted to deliver a letter to the ship.

As the leader of the region, Estrosi enacted a ban on large cruise ships but relaxed it initially by saying the cap was on ships with over 2,500 passengers calling at Villefranche. After the confrontation, he reissued a revised order, due to go into effect on July 11, again placing a limit of 2,500 passengers per day on a single ship in Villefranche and 450 in Nice. He said there was a “climate emergency,” which justified the immediate actions.

The French media said the ban would immediately impact five cruise ship calls in Nice and 12 scheduled for Villefranche this year. Next year, it would impact 15 scheduled stopovers in Nice and 53 in Villefranche, involving more than 200,000 passengers.

The prefect argued, and the court agreed, that the authority to manage cruise ship calls is at the state and federal level, and as such, Estrosi and the metropolis had overstepped their authority. The court agreed issuing a temporary injunction due to the authority issue.

In a statement issued on Sunday, July 13, Estrosi acknowledged that the metropolis cannot act alone. He, however, called for action, writing, “If the state does not take any regulatory measures within a reasonable timeframe, we will take the matter to the administrative courts to hold it accountable.”

The prefect has not ruled out an action but asserts control of the waterways is its sole authority. It said there were “illegalities” in the action that needed to be addressed to protect public or individual freedom.

The French Riviera is just the latest in a growing list of popular destinations that are struggling with the growth of the cruise industry. Greece, starting this month, imposed a tax on cruise passengers at the most popular islands to control the growth in calls. Other destinations have imposed restrictions or sought voluntary agreements with the cruise industry to control overtourism.