Due to COVID 19 pandemic, French maritime authorities have defined specific navigation rules in French territorial waters under prefectoral decree 238/2020, according with national rules. According to these specific coronavirus COVID-19 regulations, foreign vessels flying flags outside Schengen agreement are prohibited from anchoring or stopping along the French coasts except as provided for in Article 2 of Decree 85-185 of 06 February 1985 and in the case of force majeur.
Nonetheless, these regulations are specific to COVID-19 and should be repealed. This does not call into question neither the right of innocent passage nor the regulation of supervision of anchorages set up by the Maritime Prefecture. Thereby, new anchoring regulations are now applied along French Mediterranean coasts and forbid anchoring in specific zones covered with seagrass (Posidonie).
Therefore, it also organizes anchoring for yachts above 45m. For yacht above 24m or above 20m overall, with some criteria, specific zones are dedicated. Finally: where mooring is prohibited for large vessels, alternatives do exist, provisions for both dropping anchor and fixed mooring buoys are present in many areas along the French Mediterranean coast.
