A luxury cruise ship has had to skip a day in port, after protestors used their own small boats to block the ship.
Seven Seas Voyager – owned by Regent Seven Seas – had been due to dock in the French port of Concarneau on 6th July.
However, around 20 activists from two protest groups – Stop Cruises BZH Collective, and Extinction Rebellion – used their own boats to stop the ship from reaching the port.
While the groups have previously demonstrated against luxury cruise ships, they had previously only been able to delay ships in port – this is the first time they’ve forced a cancelled visit.
“No cruise liners called at Concarneau today. For us, that’s a success because we’re fighting against luxury cruise ships. We think they’re an ecological absurdity and a symbol of social inequality.”
An unnamed protestor, speaking to French newspaper Ouest France.
The enforced cancellation of the port visit at the very last minute would no doubt have disappointed the guests onboard, but the captain and pilot would never take risks in these situations just to get guests ashore.
The crew did try to find a safe route, but it was impossible to get around the small boats, one of which held up a sign reading “We’re the iceberg”, in reference to the Titanic.
Earlier this year, a similar demonstration was held in France, this time at Douarnenez.
Silversea Cruises’ Silver Wind was trying to dock, and it was able to, but the crew had to limit the number of passengers going ashore for safety reasons.
An in 2022, a petition was started by the mayor of Marseille to put an end to pollution from ships. It received 50,000 signatures, around 6% of the city’s population.
Cruise lines are making changes to improve their sustainability, including cleaner fuels and a move to using shore power where possible, allowing engines to be switched off while ships are docked.
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