A French court has dealt a blow to the outspoken Nice Mayor over cruise ship restrictions.
The Administrative Court of Nice suspended the ordnance banning larger cruise ships anchoring at Nice and nearby Villefranche-sur-Mer.
The ruling was made after the Prefet of the Alpes-Maritimes challenged the validity of the cruise ship restrictions.
Mayor of Nice Christian Estrosi decreed that only ships up to 450 passengers could dock in Nice and only ships carrying up to 2,500 passengers were permitted to tender in the bay at Villefranche-sur-Mer.
It follows an angry confrontation last week between the Mayor and the crew of a Royal Caribbean cruise ship.
The court ruled the Mayor didn’t have the authority to impose the restrictions.
The jurisdiction comes under the prefet’s powers it said.
The prefet is responsible for ‘policing waters, and to organise the entries, exits and movements of ships,’ the court stated.
