The charter, drawn up by Cannes City Hall and the Nice Côte d'Azur CCI, is restricting cruise vessels to 0.1% next year.
Since July eight cruise lines have signed the Cruise Charter.
By the end of this year, 93% of cruise passengers visiting Cannes will have travelled with cruise lines that have signed the charter, carrying some 420,460 passengers.
From January 1, 2020, Mayor David Lisnard plans to impose the Charter’s standards to all vessels anchored in the Bay of Cannes, under penalty of being banned from being able to disembark their passengers.
Companies that refuse to sign the charter will be banned from disembarking their passengers in Cannes from January 1, 2020 onwards.
Jean-Pierre Savarino, president of the CCI Nice Côte d'Azur, said: ‘The Charter that we have signed today is an important step as it reconciles economic development and environmental preservation. This approach must also be a win-win for all its participants, the City, the Port Operator and cruise lines. They will be able to benefit from an incentive on the harbour fees per passenger and by every call. Compliance with these commitments will also be regularly monitored.’
Tripartite agreement
The tripartite agreement between the Cannes City Hall, the CCI Nice Côte d'Azur – manager of the Old Port – and MSC Cruises pledges four environmental commitments to preserve the Bay of Cannes.
The charter was also signed by the Mayor of Cannes, David Lisnard, the president of the CCI Nice Côte d'Azur, Jean-Pierre Savarino, and the Executive Vice President of Maritime Policy and Government Affairs, MSC Group, Bud Darr.
Erminio Eschena, Director of Institutional Affairs and Industrial Relations, MSC Cruises said: ‘I am pleased to confirm that MSC Cruises has been a forerunner in the implementation of initiatives related to the environmental protection work in the Bay of Cannes. MSC Seaview, which has regularly visited Cannes throughout the entire summer season, already fulfils the four elements of the Charter.’
Patrick Pourbaix, Managing Director of MSC Cruises France said: ‘Since 2014, nine ships of our fleet have visited Cannes and Villefranche-sur-Mer. In addition, nearly 70 calls are scheduled for 2019 and 2020. MSC Seaview will be positioned again between April 4 and November 7, 2020, performing weekly rotations.’
As part of its €11.6bn investment plan, MSC Cruises, whose fleet will grow to 25 ships by 2027, is investing significantly in advanced, state-of-the-art environment technologies for its fleet.
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