Around twenty environmental activists used kayaks to block the entrance to the cruise terminal in the port of Marseille in southern France on Saturday morning to protest the pollution caused by these boats, AFP journalists observed.
The activists were dislodged by the maritime gendarmerie, who confirmed to AFP this blockade by around ten kayakers in the early morning, then the reopening of the port around 9 a.m.
Early in the morning, the ship AIDAstella, from the German company AIDA, had to turn around, 12 kayaks having positioned themselves at the entrance to the northern harbor of Marseille in order to prevent it from entering the port. This ship with a capacity of about 2000 people is waiting nearby.
Two other cruise ships are visible offshore and are expected to arrive Saturday morning in Marseille, France’s second largest city. They are the MSC World Europa, the sixth largest cruise ship in the world (more than 2,600 cabins, 6,000 passengers, 13 restaurants, a shopping center), and the Costa Smeralda.
The Stop Croisières collective denounces the air pollution caused by these ships, real cities on the water, with a negative impact on the health of populations and marine biodiversity. The collective also denounces the working conditions on board.
The International Association of Cruise Professionals, in an email to AFP, strongly condemned this blockade, described as illegal and dangerous, by a handful of activists, whatever their opinions.
She added that maritime transport, of which cruises represent 5% in Marseille, is continuing its relentless efforts to achieve carbon neutrality in its activities.
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A maritime gendarmerie boat approaches a group of activists from Stop Croisières and Extinction Rebellion France as they block the northern entrance to the Marseille cruise terminal in kayaks.
Photo : AFP / CLEMENT MAHOUDEAU
Rumbling on the rise on the Old Continent
The port of Marseille welcomed 1.5 million cruise passengers in 2022 and 2.5 million last year, according to the city’s tourism observatory.
Hostility is growing in Europe towards the cruise industry, a source of revenue for port cities but considered harmful to the health of local residents and the environment. In recent years, Venice and Amsterdam have banned the giants of the sea from their city centres.
The Stop Croisières collective is the result of an awareness that arose during the COVID-19 crisis.
While everywhere in France we saw videos of nature reclaiming its rights, little birds in the city and other picturesque images, some districts of Marseille recorded even more polluted air, due to the number of cruise ships confined to the quay and forced to run their engines, explained a member of Stop Croisières, who prefers to remain anonymous for fear of legal action.
In March 2023, associations and residents of the port of Marseille filed a complaint against the consequences of pollution linked to maritime traffic in port facilities, with the atmospheric pollution thresholds authorized by European legislation being regularly exceeded in the urban area.
Maritime activities are responsible for 39% of nitrogen dioxide emissions (NO2, an air pollutant) in the Marseille metropolitan area, just behind road traffic (45%), according to AtmoSud, an air quality measurement organization.
