How Cruise Contributes to Marseille

Cruise ships represent approximately 5% of ship calls recorded in the port of Marseille: the port reports 9,000 calls per year for all ships while in 2019 there were around 440 cruise ship calls or 4.8% of the total calls recorded by the port. From January 2019 to September 2021, the port of Marseille reported 5.5 million cruise passengers.

The cruise industry financially supports the electrification of docks. Cruise lines have been paying an additional €1 per passenger since 1 January 2019 to finance electrification infrastructure at the port.

Most cruise ships calling at the port of Marseille are already equipped with a system of connection to electricity at the quayside.

Cruise lines signed the Blue Charter in 2019, anticipating the requirements of the future SECA Med zone (Mediterranean Emissions Regulatory Area) jointly with the port, local and national authorities. The national Charter for Sustainable Cruise in the French Mediterranean builds on these agreements.