The Med Sustainable Cruise Charter sets sail within BEFF & UNOC by the will of France.
- M Abti
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 5 hours ago
The Blue Economy and Finance Forum started (today) on Saturday the 7th June 2025, with a meaningful agreement which officially kicked off the UNOC3 international Ocean Conference. Céline Caron-Dagioni, Monaco Minister of Equipment, Environment and the Urbanism, Philippe Tabarot, Minister responsible for Transport of the French Republic, signed the Charter for Sustainable Cruising in the Mediterranean. In the footsteps of a previous document signed in October 2022, under the umbrella of the French Government and major maritime companies, this voluntary based Charter aims at fixing a set of widely shared and strict commitments, acting as a unique regulatory framework, worldwide . The Principality of Monaco joins guidelines with the strategic aim of further developing the network.
The Charter sets new ambitious targets which will be applicable starting from
January the 1st, 2026, with focus on biodiversity protection and marine mammals conservation, reduction of discharges into the sea, waste management and recovery, noise, greenhouse gases (GHG) and air pollutants reduction, environmental awareness, transparency and social responsibility, and environmental.

Céline Caron-Dagioni expressed its full confidence in the validity of the agreement to reinforce the commitments already taken in practice by Monaco: « By joining the Charter for a Sustainable Mediterranean Cruise today, the Principality of Monaco formalises a commitment that it is already applying in practice. Our rules are among the strictest in Europe, but we believe in collective effort. We welcome the initiative taken by France, which has created a demanding and unifying framework. This Charter is a common foundation that should encourage the cruise industry to progress, for the benefit of a more sober Mediterranean and better protected. We hope that other coastal states will follow this path and strengthen this virtuous dynamic ».
The Charter results from more than a year of negotiations with shipowners, introducing technical instructions, pushing high-traffic ports to provide all devices for boats equipped with engines that meet the most stringent pollution standards (notably: Tier II), as for vessels of over 250 metres. Air emissions monitoring, preventing discharge of untreated wastewater in the Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) of the North-West Mediterranean, the reduction of submarine noise and light, the systematic use of low-emission means of transport, promoting local economies and sustainable tourism, are some of the key issues of the Agreement that will be gradually monitored by external auditors.
Philippe Tabarot, French Minister for Transport, concluded: « By mobilising in 2022 the largest international shipping companies around a Charter for Sustainable Cruising in the French Mediterranean, France played a leading role on a global scale to transform cruise tourism into a more responsible model. Today, as France hosts the United Nations Ocean Conference, we are taking a new step by strengthening commitments and bringing together new partners. The signing of this Charter by the Principality of Monaco gives this initiative a new dimension, being this Country committed to sustainable cruise tourism for a long time. Our ambition is now for other States to take inspiration from it, in order to build together a sustainable and global transformation of the cruise industry. By maintaining a strong engagement, this Charter responds to the concerns of local elected coastal cities in a concrete and ambitious way, for a beneficial and balanced tourism, while guaranteeing the companies suitable conditions for the exercise of their activity».***
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By Maurice Abbati
Journalist; Editor; Communication, Media and Public Relations Specialist
Lecturer and Author in English language of Technical Articles and the Manual: "Communicating the Environment to Save the Planet, a Journey into Eco-Communication" by Springer International Publishing.

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