Stop Cruises and Extinction Rebellion activists block cruise ships at the entrance to Marseille port

They denounce the pollution caused by these giants of the seas. On board canoes, members of the Stop Croisières and Extinction Rebellion collectives blocked the arrival of cruise ships at the port of Marseille for nearly two hours on the morning of Saturday, September 21, before being dislodged by the maritime gendarmerie.

At least three cruise ships and a ferry from Corsica had to wait at sea because of this action, rare in one of France’s largest ports, AFP journalists noted. The ship AIDAstella The German cruise ship Aida, with a capacity of around 2,000 people, had to turn around at around 7 a.m. and wait for two hours nearby. Two other cruise ships including the MSC World Europa6th largest cruise ship in the world (6,000 passengers) and the Costa Smeraldawhich were supposed to dock in Marseille on Saturday morning, had to wait offshore and were finally able to enter the port around 9:30 a.m. A ferry coming from Corsica also had to wait.

On their inflatable kayaks, the twenty or so activists equipped with life jackets had unfurled banners such as “it smells like gas” Or “We are very angry with MSC Cruises”. Stop Cruises denounces “the air pollution caused by these ships, real cities on the water”with an impact “negative on the health of populations and marine biodiversity”a spokesperson told AFP. The group also denounces the working conditions on board. Around twenty of these activists were arrested at the end of the blockade, France Bleu Provence learned from the maritime gendarmerie.

According to a study by the NGO Transport and Environment, cruise ships sailing in European waters in 2022 emitted more than eight million tonnes of CO2, the equivalent of 50,000 Paris-New York flights. Maritime activities are responsible for 39% of nitrogen dioxide emissions in the Marseille metropolitan area, just behind road traffic (45%), according to AtmoSud, an air quality measurement organisation.