Reminder of the rules for mooring ships in French internal and territorial waters

MEDITERRANEAN SEA AND COAST

Reminder of the rules for mooring ships in French internal and territorial waters

The summer period is conducive to high attendance of the sea and the coast. The services of the departmental directorate of territories and the sea of ​​Hérault (DDTM) are particularly mobilized to enforce, under the authority of the maritime prefecture of the Mediterranean, the rules relating to the mooring of ships.

Anchorage is a temporary situation for a ship in navigation, which should not replace the securing of the ship: either by mooring in a port, or by taking a buoy suitable for the ship and legal, or by shelter in a shipyard. When a boat is at anchor called “fairground” (on its anchor), a permanent watch remains obligatory to deal with any unforeseen event, under the conditions provided for by the international regulations on the prevention of collisions at sea (RIPAM).

The rules related to the mooring of ships are listed by decree of the maritime prefect of the Mediterranean dated June 16, 2022:

– “Yachts” or pleasure craft with a length greater than or equal to 80 meters, as well as all other types of vessels greater than or equal to 45 meters in length, are subject to mooring authorization;

– All other vessels, of smaller dimensions, must limit their mooring time, ensuring an effective and permanent lookout on board;

– The mooring time may be reduced by the authorities for reasons related to maritime safetyapproach safety or environmental protection.

These rules, without infringing the freedom of navigation or penalizing economic and tourist activity, give State services additional leverage to act in the direction of safety and the preservation of the environment. It is indeed a question of avoiding phenomena of “wild moorings” and “sucker ships”, and any situation of long-term moorings which could lead to the abandonment of ships by their owners, in particular in ecologically sensitive areas. . These intolerable situations constitute a real scourge on the Hérault coast, both in terms of maritime safety and environmental protection, against which it is advisable to act with determination.

More information on : https://www.premar-mediterranee.gouv.fr/arretes

To find out which areas are prohibited from mooring in the Hérault, see: the 2021 barometer “boating and nautical leisure in Hérault and Gard”

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