do ocean liners still have a future?

7 am, the Corsican capital barely wakes up, when a giant of the seas pokes its nose at the port. Like almost every day, a cruise stops in Ajaccio, about ten hours at the quay, in the city center. Up to 4,000 passengers will have the day to discover the island of beauty and the imperial city. Going on a cruise means discovering as many cities as possible in a short time. Thousands of tourists pour in from the boats. Good news, a priori, for the economy of the cities served. However, in Ajaccio as elsewhere, the cruise no longer entertains everyone. Almost everywhere, collectives oppose the arrival of these behemoths, accused of polluting the ports, as in Douarnenez (Finistère), or Marseille and La Ciotat (Bouches-du-Rhône).

400,000 cruise passengers stopped in Corsica last year

Why are these ships not necessarily welcome anymore? Every time Gilles Noton takes a look outside, it’s impossible to miss them. What bothers him is not the view, but the fumes that emerge from the chimneys all day long. He fears the consequences on his health. But the concern of local residents comes up against the interests of certain traders, for whom these boats are a blessing. Residents of the city mobilized to try to block the way to cruise ships. An online petition has already garnered more than 20,000 signatures. Contacted, neither the town hall of Ajaccio nor the cruise company present that day, granted our interview requests. Last year, nearly 400,000 cruise passengers stopped in Corsica, 15 times more than two years ago.