French Senate Adopts Environmental Tax on Cruise Passengers

Passengers would pay a port at each port under the Senate's proposal (Haropa)

Published Dec 8, 2025 1:58 PM by The Maritime Executive

Lawmakers in France were successful in adding a new tax on cruise passengers to the proposed 2026 French state budget. They contend the tax is to counter the environmental impact of cruises on coastal France.

The senators presenting the measure assert it is a “polluter pays” tax, singling out the emissions of cruise ships while in ports. They argue that it would not harm the attractiveness of the sector but would provide additional finances to protect and enhance the coastlines of France.

Under the proposal, the tax would be €15 per passenger ($17.50) for each port the cruise ship visits in France. Estimates are that the tax could raise €75 million ($87 million) each year.  The proposal, which was put forth by the Republicans, was narrowly adopted in the draft budget with the support of the left.

Critics point out that the proposal is incomplete and will need to be further amended before it is adopted as part of the ongoing budget debate. At issue contends the Minister for Public Accounts, Amelie de Montchalin, is a lack of distinction between cruises and ferries. The Minister worries that if adopted, it would negatively affect the ferries operating to Corsica and crossing the English Channel.

The cruise industry trade group Cruise Lines International Association is also critical of the tax. They contend it would be a double tax as the cruise industry is already paying the fees under the European Union’s Emissions Trading Scheme. They assert that cruise ships comply with all regulations and are being unfairly singled out, while commercial shipping accounts for a larger portion of carbon emissions.

France is a popular destination for cruises both in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe. Government estimates set cruise visitor counts at approximately 4 million annually. River cruising on the Seine is a popular part of French tourism. 

The tax is the latest in a series of efforts by activists in France to limit the cruise industry. They have staged various protests to call attention to the emissions of cruise ships. Elected officials on the French Riviera have been responsive to the claims and the impact of overtourism. 

There were several attempts to limit the number of cruise ships and the size of cruise ships visiting the popular French Riviera ports, including Nice and Villefranche. The regional administration adopted new rules starting in 2026 that will limit cruises going forward.

France’s tax mirrors efforts in other destinations that have also sought to impose a “polluter pays” fee on cruise ships. The cruise industry recently sued the state of Hawaii, which also adopted a head tax on cruise passengers, which they said would be used to protect the state’s environment. Greece also adopted new port fees for the most popular islands in its efforts to manage the influx of cruise passengers and the environmental impact from the growing number of large cruise ships.

The debate over the French tax will continue as the government works in December to finalize the federal budget for 2026.

Fincantieri Floats New Luxury Cruise Ship for Regent Seven Seas

Seven Seas Prestige was floated in late November as the newest entrant in ultra-luxury cruising (Fincantieri)

Published Dec 10, 2025 6:36 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

Fincantieri’s shipyard in Marghera, Italy, recently completed the float-out of a new luxury cruise ship for Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ Regent Seven Seas Cruises. The ship, which is the first of a new class of ultra-luxury cruise ships for the brand, is part of the continuing growth of the segment and expands on the long-standing relationship with the shipyard.

Named Seven Seas Prestige, the ship will be 76,550 gross tons when completed with an overall length of 257 meters (843 feet). Regent Seven Seas highlights that while the ship is 40 percent larger than its previous ships, it will only accommodate 10 percent more passengers. Total capacity will be 822 passengers and 630 crew, giving the ship one of the highest crew-to-passenger ratios in the industry. 

The ship will boast the largest suite yet placed aboard a cruise ship, the Skyview Regent Suite, which will be nearly 9,000 square feet and include a spa bath, private gym, an in-suite elevator, and more. The ship will have a total of 411 suites, including introducing four new categories of suites. It will also introduce new dining options, including a Mediterranean concept, and will have a total of 11 dining options, including seven specialty restaurants.

“This newbuild order continues our measured, strategic expansion within the luxury space,” said Jason Montague, Chief Luxury Officer at Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH). “It reflects our confidence in the growing demand for Regent’s best-in-class offering and reaffirms our long-standing partnership with Fincantieri, one rooted in craftsmanship and shared pursuit of perfection.”

 

Rendering of the first new class of cruise ship for the brand in a decade (Regent Seven Seas)

 

NCLH is working to keep up with the rapid growth in the ultra-luxury segment of the industry, which includes the entry of well-known luxury hotel brands, including Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons, into the business. The Seven Seas Prestige is the first new class of cruise ship for Regent Seven Seas in a decade, following on from the Explorer Class also built by Fincantieri. The Explorer class, which is 55,500 gross tons with accommodations for 746 passengers, began with Seven Seas Explorer in 2016, followed by Seven Seas Splendor in 2020, and Seven Seas Grandeur in 2023.

Work on Seven Seas Prestige began with the steel cutting in October 2024 and the keel laying in March 2025. The float out began on November 27, and the ship has now been repositioned to the outfitting dock to complete construction. Delivery is set for late 2026, with the ship’s maiden voyage in December 2026.

Confident of the opportunities in the ultra-luxury space, Regent initially ordered two ships, with the next one originally scheduled for 2029. It has been delayed to 2030, but last month, even before the float out of Seven Seas Prestige, the company announced an order for a third sister due in 2033.

These orders build on a long-standing relationship between NCLH and Fincantieri. The yard has already built a total of 10 cruise ships for the company’s three brands, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, and Regent. NCLH placed a large order in 2024 for two ships each of Oceania and Regent and four ultra-large, 200,000-plus gross ton cruise ships for Norwegian Cruise Line. In total, Fincantieri is set to build 13 additional cruise ships for NCLH for delivery between 2026 and 2036.

PortMiami Starts Winter Cruise Season with New Daily Record

PortMiami had its third record day of 2025 at the end of November as it starts the winter cruise season (PortMiami)

Published Dec 12, 2025 5:34 PM by The Maritime Executive

The 2025-2026 cruise season started with a bang for PortMiami, with the port, which likes to call itself the cruise capital of the world, setting its third record this year for the number of passengers handled in a single day. It is the start of what promises to be a very busy season as the cruise industry continues its dramatic growth.

The port highlights that on November 30, it set a new daily passenger record with 75,201 passengers (embarking and disembarking). It would be impressive in itself, but it follows two records during last winter’s record season. PortMiami handled 10 cruise ships on February 8 and set two passenger records in the early spring. On March 30, it had its busiest yet cruise day with 72,008 passengers, and less than a month later, the record fell. On April 20, PortMiami handled 72,401 passengers in a single day.

November 30 again saw a total of 10 cruise ships with a combined double occupancy of over 35,000. In port that day were: Carnival Sunrise (2,984 passengers), Carnival Horizon (3,960 passengers), Carnival Celebration (5,374 passengers), Celebrity Beyond (3,260 passengers), MSC Divina (3,500 passengers), Norwegian Aqua (3,571 passengers), Symphony of the Seas (5,518 passengers), Independence of the Seas (3,634 passengers), Scarlet Lady (2,770 passengers), and Azamara Onward (684 passengers). It was pointed out that these are not even the highest occupancy cruise ships sailing from PortMiami.

Helping the port to continue its expansion was the opening in the spring of the new AA Terminal that primarily handles MSC’s cruise ships, including the arrival of the ultra-large 215,863 gross ton MSC World America, which entered service in April. Work is currently underway on yet another new terminal as a replacement for an existing facility at the western end of Dodge Island.

PortMiami also highlights that it will add 10 cruise ships to its roster this season. Cunard, for the first time, is homeporting the Queen Elizabeth at PortMiami, as is Holland America with the Zuiderdam, and MSC Grandiosa also made a port call before homeporting in Port Canaveral. In 2026, it will also host Holland America’s Eurodam and Silversea Cruises' Silver Nova. The brand-new cruise ships calling Miami home this season include Virgin Voyages’ Brilliant Lady, Oceania Cruises’ Allura, and, arriving in March 2026, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Luna.

All of this continues to fuel the growth of the cruise business at PortMiami. In the fiscal year, the port reported 4 percent growth in its passenger totals, handling a record 8,564,225 cruise passengers. The prior FY it handled a record-breaking 8.2 million passengers, which was a nearly 13 percent increase.

With the Caribbean remaining the most popular destination for cruises, PortMiami continues to expect growth. However, for only the second time in the modern cruise industry, Port Canaveral topped the passenger totals of PortMiami. The Central Florida port handled 8,602,047 passengers, a better than 13-percent increase over the prior FY.

The same growth is showing at the other large homeports. Port Everglades in Florida reported it welcomed 4,773,873 cruise passengers (preliminary count) in Fiscal Year 2025. Also rising quickly is Galveston in Texas, which expects nearly 4 million cruise passengers this year.