French maritime authorities have redrawn the anchoring boundaries in Pampelonne Bay, the crowded stretch of water off Ramatuelle near St Tropez, through a order that took legal effect on 24 June. According to compliance and AIS tracking service FLYN Yachtin, nautical charts have not yet been updated to reflect the change.

The order, Arrêté Préfectoral n°177/2026, was signed by the préfet maritime de la Méditerranée in Toulon on 3 June and consolidates the existing large-vessel anchoring regime, Arrêté 157/2024, which governs anchoring and stopping for vessels of 45 metres and above, or 300gt and above, across French Mediterranean waters.

Inside Pampelonne Bay, the former 45 to 80-metre western anchoring area has been reclassified as a 24 to 45-metre zone and incorporated into the Zone de Mouillages et d'Équipements Légers (ZMEL) and now falls under the authority of Ramatuelle’s municipal police.

Inside Pampelonne Bay, the order clarifies the boundary between Cap Pinet and the Pointe de la Bonne Terrasse, where vessels 80 metres and above must now anchor in a zone kept separate from the one reserved for vessels between 45 and 80 metres.

The former 45 to 80-metre western anchoring area has been reclassified as a 24 to 45-metre zone and folded into the ZMEL, a 210-buoy mooring field. Several ZMEL mooring sectors have also been modified, including buoy locations, the number of available moorings, and the maximum vessel length permitted in some sectors.

Several ZMEL mooring sectors have also been modified, including buoy locations, the number of available moorings and the maximum vessel length permitted in certain sectors. Near Île Sainte-Marguerite off Cannes, the eastern anchoring zone has also been updated following the relocation of the AQUAFRAIS fish farm.

The underlying rules within the Pampelonne ZMEL are unchanged, however. Vessels under 24 metres may not anchor within the buoyed mooring areas; anchoring on Posidonia meadows remains prohibited outright regardless of vessel size and the sandy area reserved for vessels between 24 and 45 metres is not open to anchoring at all.

Captains planning to anchor in either area this season should check the order directly, or confirm with a compliance service such as FLYN, rather than rely on a chart overlay until official cartography catches up.

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