The port of Sanary-sur-Mer is the first of the 9 ports in the Var Provence Cruise Club network to invest and set up a mooring buoy. This new environmentally friendly equipment helps protect the Posidonia sea bed and will allow future cruise ships to be welcomed in the best safety and security conditions.
After several years of administrative procedures and a public enquiry, a mooring buoy is now operational since March 2021 in the bay of Sanary-sur-Mer.
The cost of this investment amounted to approx. €500,000.
The size of this mooring buoy is calibrated for vessels with a maximum length of 224 meters and a maximum tonnage of 56,000 gross tons. An equipment perfectly adapted to the fleet of luxury companies who are regularly scheduling calls in Sanary-sur-Mer: 11 calls are expected in 2021 of cruise lines such as Seadream Yacht Club, Windstar Cruises, Seabourn Cruise Line and Azamara.
Under the responsibility of the city, all cruise call requests are subject to a prior authorization from the Port Authority of Sanary-sur-Mer. This mooring buoy provides cruise lines exclusivity in Sanary with only one cruise ship calling per day. The guarantee of a quality visit in total peace of mind for their cruise guests.
In addition, the town is certified I.S.P.S (International Ship and Port Facility Security). It is therefore listed among the major international seaports with ISPS certification, thus guaranteeing that cruise ships calling at Sanary will have security measures in place (restricted area, passenger control, etc.) and that cruise passengers will be safe in the port. In addition to the commercial port of Toulon, only three other towns in the Var region have received this certification: Sanary, Saint-Raphaël and Saint- Tropez.
Since 2016, Sanary has joined the "Cruise Friendly" quality welcome. A certification which aims to upgrade the welcoming of this cruise customer target. More than 70 shopkeepers and leisure providers are entirely devoted to deliver a quality welcome, grant a special discount or gift upon purchase to cruise passengers to enhance their experience ashore.
