Why these new laws will makes sailing in the Mediterranean tougher than ever

• A series of local authorities on the French Riviera have signed strict new cruise restrictions into law.
• The new regulations include no more than an average of 2000 passengers per day in port, and no more than 3000 passengers disembarking simultaneously.
• CLIA has suggested that these laws were put into place without enough warning for the industry and they appear extremely likely to affect Mediterranean cruise itineraries.

Regional authorities have made effective new cruise caps and limits for a number of ports in the French Riviera. This could affect cruise ports such as Nice, Marseille and Cannes.

The new law will place a new cap on an average of 2000 cruise passengers per port call days. While that represents an average figure, on other days up to 3000 passengers will be able to disembark simultaneously, as long as the overall average remains below 2000 passengers pre day.

From July 1 to August 13 each year, only 15 ships carrying more than 1300 passengers will be able to port. However, this does not apply to ships berthed in ports.

The new agreements also contain a number of stipulations relating to sustainable and biodiversity protection, and cruise lines that have signed onto the Sustainable Mediterranean Cruise Charter will be prioritised.

The rules are very new and it remains to be seen how they’ll work logistically. Their complicated nature alone could be enough to compel cruise lines to take French Riviera stops off their Mediterranean cruise itineraries.

CLIA hinted in a comment that this could have short term effects, “as cruise itineraries are planned years ahead, regulatory measures must take this long-term cycle into account, including their economic implications for local communities”.

Given that cruise lines would not have been able to plan for these new rules ahead of time, it’s very likely we’ll see port cancellations and shuffling around of itineraries as cruise lines react and adapt to the new regulations.

Ships like Explorer of the Seas and Norwegian Epic, which carry more than 3000 passengers and is scheduled to visit Nice next year, will surely have to cancel its arranged port calls unless the rules are changed again.

The cruise industry continues to be in a tense situation in Europe. As local and national governments across the continent scramble to appease the people protesting over tourism, cruise appears to be an easy target that is bearing the brunt of these reactions.

It remains to be seen how the enforcement and organisation of these new laws will unfold, but if they stay as they currently stand, plenty of cruisers should be expecting emails about altered itineraries over the coming months.