A local court ruled that cruise ships can still visit Nice, France, despite the mayor's determination to ban them.
On July 1, Nice and Villefranche enacted new rules banning cruise ships carrying more than 2,500 passengers from disembarking in the area. However, Voyager of the Seas still called at Villefranche-sur-Mer on July 3, arriving around 6:30am local time.
The Voyager Class ship had 3,114 passengers and roughly 1,200 crew on board. Although port officials said it was a pre-approved stop, Christian Estrosi, the Mayor of Nice and President of the Nice Côte d'Azur metropolitan area, considered the ship's arrival a breach of the recently implemented ban.
Estrosi boarded a police boat with a television crew, approached Voyager of the Seas, and requested to board with an official letter instructing the captain not to let guests ashore.
"In accordance with these publicly announced commitments, I formally request that you refrain from disembarking any passengers from your vessel at the Villefranche maritime station or at any other metropolitan facility," the letter read.
"Given your clear non-compliance with our environmental and territorial regulations, I am bringing this matter to the attention of the Minister for Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion, as well as the Maritime Prefect of the Mediterranean. I am asking them to take, without delay, all necessary measures to order the immediate departure of your ship from the waters off Villefranche."
Voyager's crew didn't let Estrosi on and motioned for him to turn around. Frustrated, he was caught on camera shouting, "Where is the captain?" and ordering the crew to "get out of here." Estrosi later accused Royal Caribbean of ignoring local regulations and described the ship's crew as "arrogant."
In a statement to local reporters, he doubled down on his stance: "I will not give up. I call on all relevant authorities to take the utmost firmness on this issue. I intend to strictly enforce the decision."
Days later, he issued an order to further restrict cruise ship access in the area. The ban would have limited cruise ships to just 450 passengers in Nice and 2,500 in Villefranche-sur-Mer. However, it was suspended on July 13 by the local Administrative Court in Nice, which sided with Laurent Hottiaux, the Prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes department.
Read more: Angry French Mayor yells at cruise ship
Estrosi wanted to cut down on cruise ship visits to help fight climate change and protect marine life
According to the ruling, only the Prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes department can regulate ship traffic. In other words, Estrosi doesn't have the legal right to impose maritime restrictions, despite his dual role as the Mayor of Nice and President of the Nice Côte d'Azur metropolitan area.
Estrosi is "not competent to issue such measures," the court emphasized. Only the Prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes can, as it's "within the framework of his powers to police the waterway, [and] organize the entries, exits, and movements of vessels."
The court also stated that "these limitations go against the freedom of movement for cruise ship passengers and the freedom of trade and industry for cruise operators."
Still, Estrosi, who thinks that cruise ships are "three times worse than airplanes," isn't giving up. He has threatened to sue the State if they don't take action against large cruise ships.
Had the ban gone into effect on July 11 as Estrosi intended, at least 12 cruise ships would have been forced to cancel their planned 2025 visits.
