May 5, 2022

The new delegation of maritime public service (“DSP”) was voted on Thursday (28 April 2022) by the majority by the Assembly of Corsica, after 7 hours of stormy debates between the territorial executive and the opposition.

The new DSP 2023-2029 will cover the connection between five Corsican ports and Marseille. Each year, during seven years, EUR 85 million will be available.

The opposition voted against or abstained, for two main reasons:

  • Repeating a 50-year-old scheme that is in favour of Marseille as continental port (longer distance from Corsica than Toulon or Nice)
  • Eight years is too long and prevents any possible start a Corsica-based ferry company.

From several sources Ferry Shipping News understands that the European Commission acknowledged the need for a subsidized service.

Next step: selecting the ferry operators.