Cannes: the first ship in the Vieux Port

It is the first time in Cannes that a ship draws alongside in the new cruise quay: it is the Seabourne Pride. This luxury ship, with the Norwegian flag, called at the Vieux-Port late Sunday morning and directly disembarked on the quay with its 186 passengers. A reception was organized for their arrival with the municipal and departmental authorities as well as the representatives of the CCI, who administrate the port. It was an unofficial inauguration. However, the official inauguration of this cruise quay, which can receive ships of 140-150 meters long, will take place a bit later, in June or July (it was difficult to plan such an inauguration during the festival).

Cannes will be the first one to adapt its harbour to the new deal of cruises. It is then before Monaco, whose floating breakwater works are getting late (we now say that it will be settled in the summer 2003 whereas it was planned for summer 2001 initially) and Nice whose enlargement project is very recent. However, Cannes, which aims more particularly to lead the port of calls, was the only one among the three which couldn’t receive until now ships in its docks. The calls or departures/arrivals of cruises had to be done with shuttles systematically, then limiting the rise of this new tourist activity. About twenty calls at the quay are planned this summer whereas development works have to be finished and there is also the maritime station to be built, another building site planned.