Moorings on Posidonia meadows: role of the French authorities in environmental protection
Stephane PERON
Administrator in Chief of Maritime affairs Head of the development and environment office Action of the state at Sea division Prefecture Maritime de la Méditerranee Toulon, France
Law enforcement at sea : an organization derived from the History and needs of ocean’s preservation - 1800 : creation of « maritime prefect corps» by Napoléon 1976 : creation of the Exclusive Economic Zone (Law july 16, 1976 and decree october 12, 2012) - 1978 : appearance of the modern « maritime prefect » -2004 : Increase of environmental prerogatives of the maritime prefect after Erika and Prestige disasters
A dual organization
Prime minister Ministry of Defense Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff & + All other ministers Chief of Naval Operations (national decree n° 2004-112 February 06,2004
Zone Commander and maritime Maritime district prefect
Military missions Civil prerogatives
3 Admirals – maritime prefects PREMAR / Channel and North Sea (Cherbourg) CECLANT/PREMAR / Atlantic Ocean (Brest) CECMED/PREMAR / Mediterrean Sea (Toulon) Vice Amiral d'Escadre Laurent ISNARD Action de l’Etat en Mer /State at sea organization Prime Minister Interministerial committee of the sea
General Secretary Coast Guard function of the Sea Secretary & fusion center
Defense Treasury Ecology Fisheries Home Office …
Prefects of Zone, district Préfet Maritime department, region
Maritime Police Civil Rescue Navy Police Customs (immigration affairs service) emergency association
The prorogatives of the maritime prefect
Opérational coordination of the differents administrations at sea
Missions coordination (MP is leading the Regional Maritime Conference)
General administrative police power at sea
ACTION REGULATION
Search And rescue missions / peoples and properties (MRCC)
Defense of sovereign rights and the interests of the Nation
Fight against illegal activities
Preserve the order at sea
Environmental protection (MPA, VTS, regulations…)
Administrations coordination principle « Action de l’Etat en mer »: Each administration is responsible for carrying out its own tasks
French Navy (with maritime gendarmerie) : defense missions, prevention and fight against pollution, mine- clearing…
SNSM (rescue association) :
Maritime civil affairs : navigation monitoring, fisheries police, rescue coordination...
Civil emergency : rescue to the civilian population Customs : immigration and tax police Gendarmerie : police missions
… but participates in other missions, if necessary, at
the request of the maritime prefect
Colision between « Ulysses » And « Virginia (Octobre 2018, Cap Corse)
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Grounding of « Rhodanus », Bonifacio, Corsica, october 2019
Fisheries control by French Navy unit
evacuation drill with a passengers ship
The prefect of the emergency at sea - Safeguarding human life - assistance to ships in difficulty - Fight again pollutions - Mine-clearing
The prefect of police at sea (public order) - Repression of polluters - Disturbances to public order - Illicit trafficking (drugs, irregular immigration) - Counter terrorism plans
The prefect « governor » of the marine area - Regulation of uses and conflict prevention (anchorage) - Governance of the marine protected areas - Marine spatial planning (ex : renewable marine energies) French mooring regulations
Prefectoral decree PREMAR n°155/2016 June 24, 2016
Establishes two legal regimes :
Declaration : yachts ≥ 45 meters et < 80 meters to MRCC La Garde
Autorisation: all ships ≥ à 300 UMS ou 45 meters by MRCC La Garde Yachts ≥ à 80 meters
Identification of preferential mooring areas
- Main areas of anchorage identified / 3 criteria (safety, securityand environment). - Possibility of authorization "on a case by case basis" - Sectors require priority installation of mooring buoys (cruise ship)
example of use of AIS data (cumulative data 2010- 2018) and evolutions of the posidonia meadows In the Saint-Tropez Gulf
Source : Agence de l'Eau & Andromède
Source : Agence de l'Eau & Andromède
Source : Agence de l'Eau & Andromède Source : Agence de l'Eau & Andromède
New decree n° 123/2019 June 3, 2019 sets the general legal framework for anchoring and stopping ships on french territiral waters recalls the legitimacy of the maritime prefect to regulate the anchorage
Gathers in one text existing regulatory obligations in various Defines the anchorage texts and stopping sets the general framework for anchoring and stopping ships on french territiral waters
Establishes the prohibition to anchor in an area where are present plant species marine protected (article 6) Referral to local decree recalls that the destruction of the - to specify the no-go zones Posidonia is an offense on posidonia meadows regarding the threatened (cards with simple zones) Environment Code - to define the useful The mooring in limitations / pressures prohibited area by (24 m < L < 45 m PREMAR decree is an but possible for ships less than 24 m) offense regarding the Ordinance 2016-1687 - to define the maximum of 8/12/16 duration of anchorage according to local issues (72 and Transports Code) hours by example) sets the general framework for anchoring and stopping ships on french territiral waters
Establishes the prohibition to anchor in an area where are present plant species marine protected (article 6) Referral to local decree recalls that the destruction of the - to specify the no-go zones Posidonia is an offense on posidonia meadows regarding the threatened (cards with simple zones) Environment Code - to define the useful The mooring in limitations / pressures prohibited area by (24 m < L < 45 m PREMAR decree is an but possible for ships less than 24 m) offense regarding the Ordinance 2016-1687 - to define the maximum of 8/12/16 duration of anchorage according to local issues (72 and Transports Code) hours by example) Decree MP n° 123/2019 June 3, 2019 set the general legal framework
Decree MP n° 155/2016 jun 24, 2016 for all ships > 45 m / 300 UMS and yachts > 80 m. (to be revised)
Local MP decrees regulatings mooring for yachts > 24 m and < 45 m (to establish, summer 2020) Example of regulation in the local decrees
Project of representation map
New prohibited areas at anchor ships (> 24 m)
seagrass areas unprotected (according to the health of the posidonia)
Compulsory mooring areas decree 155/2016 (to be modified) Thank you for your attention
www.premar-mediterranee.gouv.fr