SINT MAARTEN/SAINT MARTIN - Proposition de loi n° 2968 is the draft legislation deposited in the French National Assembly by left-wing deputies led by the left-wing political party La France Insoumise Member of Parliament Thomas Portes, calling for the complete ban on any recreational or mega yacht measuring 50 meters (approximately 164 feet) or more from entering French seaports, using local berths, or even remaining within French territorial waters.
The argument for promoting such a bill is related to environmental and climate change whereby they argue that oversized vessels produce carbon emissions, pollute sensitive coastal ecosystems, and impact port infrastructure.
The legislature also includes a number of penalties such as fines ranging from 1% to 15% of the estimated market value of the vessel; State seizure; Five-to-ten-year bans for any other ship linked to the same ultimate beneficial owner.
Critics and other stakeholders in the yachting sector are very concerned as high-end yachts are the main economic driver for the Cote d’Azur region, generating billions of euros and generating thousands of jobs with the marine sector.
If such a ban is put in place, it will drive the mega yacht sector out of France to other neighboring destinations such as Monaco and Spain. If such a ban became law, what would it mean for the Port of Marigot, Saint Martin and the French territorial waters where many mega yachts anchor during the high tourist season?
