Authorized passenger transport vessels now clearly identifiable, in order to perpetuate a quality experience in the discovery of the heritage of the Calanques National Park

Professional vessels authorized to introduce and share to visitors the wealth of the heritage of the marine heart of the National Park will now be clearly identifiable by all thanks to a new signage.
This will make it possible to better ensure the respect of the authorization system, supervised by a regulation of the National Park which has just been reinforced.
The objective is to perpetuate an optimal experience of discovering this protected natural area, by making more efficient a tool for regulating the maritime frequentation of the Calanques.

Since 1 June, all vessels authorized to transport passengers in the marine core of the Calanques National Park have on their hull and in their masts colored stickers and flags, particularly identifiable.
This new signage allows all visitors to distinguish the transport vessels they can legally use and to choose their provider knowingly.
Indeed, only a strictly supervised number of vessels has, since the creation of the National Park, the authorization to practice this activity in the heart of the Calanques.
This signage aims to allow an obvious recognition.
Flag and sticker to identify professional vessels authorized to carry passengers in the heart of National Park.

If the number of passenger ships (often called "skippers") has been regulated since 2012, it is because the legislator has been concerned to give the Calanques National Park a tool for controlling the nautical use of a site.
always more sought after by visitors.

Inserted in the heart of the second French metropolis, the Calanques National Park is the subject of more than 3 million annual visits.
Regulating attendance, on land and at sea, is therefore a major challenge to ensure the maintenance of a high level of environmental quality and a discovery of the territory to meet the expectations of visitors.
A number of authorized vessels has therefore been set aside for the creation of the National Park, based on the flotilla then in operation.
The only new vessels that can legally become part of this professional sector must demonstrate a lower environmental impact, for example by being equipped with hybrid engines and waste management devices.
Despite this system, however, passenger transport methods have diversified considerably.
The attractiveness of the exceptional coastal zones has pushed, on all the French coasts, the development of new practices, like the rent with skippers or the proposal of transport services by private individuals, often exercised on the fringes, or outside, of the legality.
Existing regulations, such as those in effect in the Calanques, have therefore been weakened.As a protected marine area, the Calanques National Park has a special responsibility on this subject.
Its Board of Directors decided, in March, to make the regulation in force more effective and to preserve effective control of the use of the natural environment.
The scope of the existing authorization has thus been extended to cover all passenger transport services in the sea-core area, regardless of the status under which they are marketed.
This reinforcement of the regulations on passenger ships aims to restore the level of regulation initially intended for the creation of the National Park.
It will make it possible to better control an increasing use of marine areas and the impacts that it can generate on natural environments and the character of the site.

The control of these new rules will be reinforced by the system of signs put in place (stickers and flags raised by authorized vessels, see identification device).
Only identified ships will now be able to walk visitors with a crew in the heart of National Park.
Vessels offering unauthorized passenger transport services will be immediately sanctioned in case of control at sea, by the State services and the National Park.

By resorting exclusively to these authorized operators, the visitor contributes directly to a regulated use of the Calanques, guaranteeing their preservation and the perpetuity of its nature, its landscapes and its character.

The best identification of the authorized vessels is also, for the visitor, a guarantee of professionalism of the operators, safety and legality of the proposed service, in order to discover the coastline of the Calanques under the best conditions.