PORTS BY COUNTRY · FOR OFFICERS, MASTERS AND SHORE TEAMS
Ports in France
NaviBoss has port guides for 48 ports in France, 44 of them with the pilot boarding place on the chart. Its coast lies in NAVAREA I, NAVAREA II and NAVAREA III, buoyage follows IALA region A and ships are inspected under the Paris MOU.
All 48 ports in France
Each name opens its port guide: where the pilot boards, local time and summer time, water density, load line zone, the maximum draft per terminal, reporting before arrival and inspections.
| Port | UN/LOCODE | Pilot | Deepest berth | Warnings area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ajaccio | FRAJA | Yes | 7.0 m | NAVAREA III |
| Bastia | FRBIA | Yes | 6.5 m | NAVAREA III |
| Bayonne | FRBAY | Yes | 8.7 m | NAVAREA II |
| Bonifacio | FRBON | Yes | — | NAVAREA III |
| Bordeaux | FRBOD | Yes | 12.5 m | NAVAREA II |
| Boulogne-sur-Mer | FRBOL | Yes | 9.3 m | NAVAREA I |
| Brest | FRBES | Yes | 11.8 m | NAVAREA II |
| Caen | FRCFR | Yes | 9.4 m | NAVAREA I |
| Calais | FRCQF | Yes | 11.5 m | NAVAREA I |
| Calvi | FRCLY | Yes | — | NAVAREA III |
| Cannes | FRCEQ | Yes | — | NAVAREA III |
| Cherbourg | FRCER | Yes | — | NAVAREA I |
| Concarneau | FRCOC | Yes | — | NAVAREA II |
| Dieppe | FRDPE | Yes | — | NAVAREA I |
| Douarnenez | FRDRZ | Yes | — | NAVAREA II |
| Dunkirk | FRDKK | Yes | 20.5 m | NAVAREA I |
| Fecamp | FRFEC | Yes | 7.0 m | NAVAREA I |
| Granville | FRGFR | Yes | 7.6 m | NAVAREA I |
| Honfleur | FRHON | Yes | 6.7 m | NAVAREA I |
| Ile Rousse | FRILR | Yes | — | NAVAREA III |
| La Nouvelle | FRNOU | Yes | 11.6 m | NAVAREA III |
| La Rochelle-Pallice | FRLRH | Yes | 16.0 m | NAVAREA II |
| Lavera | FRLAV | Yes | — | NAVAREA III |
| Le Chateau d'Oleron | FRHTR | — | — | NAVAREA II |
| Le Havre | FRLEH | Yes | 27.0 m | NAVAREA I |
| Le Legue/Saint Brieuc | FRSBK | Yes | — | NAVAREA I |
| Le Treport | FRLTR | Yes | — | NAVAREA I |
| Les Sables d'Olonne | FRLSO | Yes | — | NAVAREA II |
| Lorient | FRLRT | Yes | 10.0 m | NAVAREA II |
| Lyon | FRLIO | — | — | inland |
| Marseille | FRMRS | Yes | 21.0 m | NAVAREA III |
| Morlaix | FRMXN | Yes | — | NAVAREA I |
| Nantes-St Nazaire | FRNTE | — | 16.0 m | NAVAREA II |
| Nice | FRNCE | Yes | — | NAVAREA III |
| Paris | FRPAR | Yes | 3.5 m | inland |
| Port Vendres | FRPOV | Yes | — | NAVAREA III |
| Porto Vecchio | FRPVO | Yes | — | NAVAREA III |
| Propriano | FRPRP | Yes | — | NAVAREA III |
| Rochefort & Tonnay-Charente | FRRCO | Yes | 6.5 m | NAVAREA II |
| Roscoff-Bloscon | FRROS | Yes | 6.0 m | NAVAREA I |
| Rouen | FRURO | Yes | 11.0 m | NAVAREA I |
| Sete | FRSET | Yes | 14.0 m | NAVAREA III |
| St Malo | FRSML | — | 9.0 m | NAVAREA I |
| Strasbourg | FRSXB | Yes | 3.5 m | inland |
| Toulon | FRTLN | Yes | 8.4 m | NAVAREA III |
| Treguier | FRTRE | Yes | — | NAVAREA I |
| Vannes | FRVNE | Yes | — | NAVAREA II |
| Villefranche | FRVFM | Yes | — | NAVAREA III |
Navigational warnings
France's waters are in NAVAREA I, NAVAREA II and NAVAREA III. A ship there keeps the in-force warnings of that area, and of any NAVAREA it passes on the way.
Before you call at France
Pre-arrival reporting
Vessels seeking access to French ports should expect to provide information including but not limited to vessel particulars, crew/passenger, customs, health and security. The pre-arrival reporting should be done electronically where possible. France has multiple online reporting portals for seaports as well as online reporting for inland waterways.
Please see pre-arrival information of individual French ports for more details.
Rules in port
In the EU, SOx emissions from ships are regulated by Directive (EU) 2016/802, known as the 'Sulphur Directive'.
Since 1st January 2015, stricter sulphur limits for marine fuel in Emission Control Areas (ECAs) apply (0.1%) as well as in sea areas outside ECAs (3.50%). In addition, a 0.1% maximum sulphur requirement for fuels used by ships at berth and anchorages within port limits was introduced in EU Ports from 1st January 2010. Furthermore, passenger ships operating on regular services to or from any EU port should not use marine fuels if their sulphur content exceeds 1.50% in sea areas outside the ECAs.
From 1st January 2020, ships operating outside of Emission Control Areas should not use marine fuels if their sulphur content exceeds 0.50%.
ISPS (ship and port security)
Position: Head of Sea Defense.
Address: 22 Rue Monge, Paris, F-75005, France
Tel: +33 01 40 81 85 30
Fax: +33 01 40 81 70 53
Mob: +33 06 17 15 01 80
Email: [email protected]
For further ISPS information see IMO website http://www.imo.org
Dialling code +33. Area codes were introduced for areas outside Paris in Oct, 1996. For Paris city and greater Paris add 1 to the +33. For other areas a digit, 2 to 5, follows the +33. Customer numbers are made up of 8 digits. · The unit of currency is the euro, which is made up of 100 cent.
These country notes come from public port references and some may be several years old. Check with your agent.
Questions about ports in France
How many ports in France have a NaviBoss port guide?
48 ports, 44 of them with at least one pilot boarding place on the chart. Each guide gives the pilot station, local time, water density, load line zone, maximum draft per terminal, pre-arrival reporting and inspections.
Which NAVAREA is France in?
France's ports lie in NAVAREA I (1), NAVAREA II (2) and NAVAREA III (3), depending on the coast.
Which IALA buoyage region does France use?
IALA region A: red to port when entering harbour.
Who carries out Port State Control in France?
Ships calling at France are inspected under the Paris MOU and Indian Ocean MOU.
What time zone are France's ports in?
UTC+1, with a summer-time change during the year.
Which port in France takes the deepest draft?
Of the ports with a figure, Le Havre: its deepest listed berth takes 27.0 m. Check the terminal and the latest port notices before you plan to it.
More guides
- Ports by countryevery country with port guides
- Sea distances between portsreal distances on shipping lanes
- NAVAREA warningsthe 21 areas and who broadcasts them
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NaviBoss guides are written and checked by maritime industry experts, masters and deck officers. Each one is built from the same data the planner uses, dated, and rebuilt when that data changes. Spotted something wrong? Tell us on the feedback board.
A planning aid, not for navigation. Check official charts and publications, the latest notices and your company's instructions before you rely on any figure here.