Nice to Monaco sea shuttle project revived
The port of Cap d'Ail could become home to the sea shuttle from Nice © Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur
After years of setbacks and delays, Minister of State Christophe Mirmand is proposing a new approach to the sea shuttle service, which will now focus on the summer tourist season.
The project for a ferry service between Nice and Monaco has taken a new turn. During a National Council session reported by TVMonaco, Minister of State Christophe Mirmand presented a revised vision for the project, abandoning the idea of transport for commuters in favour of a seasonal tourist service.
“I think it would be easier to operate this shuttle from the port of Cap d’Ail to the port of Nice. Rather than entering into negotiations to allow cross-border transport, which is always more complex legally and technically,” the Minister of State told members of the National Council.
Five years of twists and turns
Launched in 2020 by Christian Estrosi, the initial project promised to connect Nice to Monaco in 35 minutes, with 30 daily trips to relieve congestion on the roads used by the 40,000 commuters working in the Principality. To simplify the administrative aspects, the port of Cap d’Ail was quickly chosen over that of Monaco, thus avoiding the complexities of cross-border transport.
Initially scheduled for summer 2021, the shuttle never made it off the ground. Two successive calls for tenders were declared unsuccessful due to the lack of a technological solution that was both carbon-free, fast and resistant to sea conditions. Economic constraints also played a role: as the port of Cap d’Ail can only accommodate vessels with a maximum capacity of 150 passengers, profitability remained uncertain without public subsidies.
France-Monaco sea shuttle: no call for tenders, but project not abandoned
Connecting two French ports, the shuttle would be the sole responsibility of the Nice metropolitan area, with Monaco participating in the financing. For Monaco, environmental requirements remain central: only an environmentally friendly vessel will be selected.
The National Council reacted positively to this statement by the Minister of State. Elected officials, who have been calling for concrete solutions for transport issues for years, see this tourism project as a pragmatic first step before any long-term commitment.