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Marseille

UN/LOCODE FRMRS · France · Europe · 13

Crew change hub

Crew guide

Shore leave

Marseille (+ Fos-sur-Mer terminals to the north) is France's largest Mediterranean port. Standard Schengen. Stella Maris Marseille + Mission to Seafarers operate.

Walking distance + transit

The Fos container terminals are 45-60 minutes from central Marseille by van. The Vieux Port is directly in central Marseille. Marseille-Provence Airport is 30 minutes.

Essentials

  • ATMs: throughout central Marseille and the shopping district
  • Money changers: airport + Vieux Port area
  • Hospital: Hôpital de la Timone, Hôpital Nord
  • Prayer rooms: Mosquée El-Islah + Mosquée Al-Rahma + several district mosques
  • Halal food: extensive throughout Marseille (large North African diaspora)
  • Supermarket: Carrefour, Casino, Monoprix
  • SIM card: Orange, SFR, Free, Bouygues Telecom

Seafarer tips

Do: try genuine Marseille bouillabaisse in the Vieux Port — expensive but a proper regional experience. Don't: leave belongings visible in a taxi or on café tables — Marseille has real petty-crime risk. Watch for: Fos-sur-Mer is a long way from central Marseille — van transport is the only realistic option from most container berths.

Last verified: 2026-07-01. Confirm with ship's agent before going ashore — local policy changes.

Marseille (UN/LOCODE FRMRS) is a designated seaport with an adjacent airport in France (13) in the northern European / African Atlantic region. The port operates on Europe/Paris, uses the Euro (EUR), runs shore power at 230V/50Hz (Type C/E). Nearest major airport for crew changes is Marseille Provence Airport (MRS), 22 km from the port.

Reference

Coordinates
43.3, 5.4
Time zone
Europe/ParisUTC +01:00observes DST
Local currency
EUR— Euro
Languages
fr
Nearest airport
MRSMarseille Provence Airport~22 km
Electricity
230 V50 Hzplugs C, E(country default — verify at berth)
Climate
CfbOceanic / temperate

Country-coastal Köppen zone (most ports cluster on the coast). For port-coordinate resolution use Kottek 2006 0.5° grid.

Function codes
12-45---

seaport · rail terminal · airport · postal exchange

Port authority
Accueil

Operational details

Compiled from public port-authority and P&I-club directories. Always verify current contacts via your agent before arrival.

Pilotage / VTS

Marseille-Fos Port Control / CROSS Med

P&I correspondents

  • · Holman Fenwick Willan Marseille
  • · Ince Gordon Dadds France
  • · BLG Avocats Marseille

Port agents

  • · GAC France Marseille
  • · Inchcape Marseille
  • · Louis Dreyfus Armateurs agents

ISPS security level (normal): 1

Largest French Mediterranean port; Fos-sur-Mer industrial zone separate; crude tanker berths at Lavera; strong Mistral wind advisory.

Helplines for seafarers in France

Welfare, abandonment, wages, medical, mental health, harassment — 24/7 lines where available. See full helplines directory.

Other ports in France

All ports in France →

Survival information

Practical information for crew arriving here. Verified where possible — see sources. Spot a mistake or missing detail? Tell us.

Emergency contacts

  • France Emergency (112): 112 · 24/7
  • Marseille-Fos Port Authority: +33 4 91 39 40 00 · business hours

Hospitals / clinics

Shore leave

France (Schengen) — same rules as NL/DE/BE. Visa-required nationalities need a Schengen transit C-visa. Le Havre and Marseille are major crew-change hubs; agent arranges port pass on arrival. Reference: france-visas.gouv.fr.

Plan it: /tools/shore-leave-port-card

Transport

Nearest major airport: Marseille Provence Airport (MRS (~22 km)). Vessel agent normally arranges taxi or seafarer-centre shuttle to/from the airport at sign-on / sign-off. Confirm transport with the agent at least 24 hours before disembarkation.

SIM & Wi-Fi

Major operators: Orange, SFR, Bouygues, Free. Prepaid SIM at La Poste, supermarkets, or carrier shops. Free Wi-Fi at Stella Maris Le Havre + Stella Maris Marseille.

Consular contacts

Related rights: shore leave · medical care · abandonment · unpaid wages.

Port-state-control region: paris MoU · how to file a PSC complaint.

Marseille: seafarer FAQ

Is shore leave allowed at Marseille?
Shore leave at Marseille: France (Schengen) — same rules as NL/DE/BE. Visa-required nationalities need a Schengen transit C-visa. Le Havre and Marseille are major crew-change hubs; agent arranges port pass on arrival. Reference: france-visas.gouv.fr.. Shore leave policy is set by the port authority, the flag administration, and the visa regime of France. Confirm with the agent before stepping ashore.
What visa or shore-pass do I need for Marseille?
Seafarers calling at Marseille on a vessel are generally exempt from regular tourist visas under Convention 108 / 185 (Seafarers' Identity Documents) if their flag administration has ratified the convention and they hold an SID. The standard document is the seaman's book + ship's crew list. France may also require a shore pass issued by the agent. Confirm before you board the vessel — visa rules vary by nationality and by recent immigration-policy changes.
Is there a seafarer welfare centre at Marseille?
Yes — 2 seafarer welfare centres are listed for Marseille in our directory. The centres are typically run by the Mission to Seafarers, Stella Maris (Apostleship of the Sea), or a regional ministry, and offer wifi, transport, shop, chaplaincy, and advocacy. Walk-in is normal; no appointment needed.
Is there a crisis or welfare helpline I can call from Marseille?
Yes — 6 helplines are listed for France in our directory, plus ISWAN's 24-hour multilingual SeafarerHelp (+44 20 7323 2737) and the ITF Helpline. Helplines handle crisis support, abandonment, wage theft, mental health, and bereavement.
What's the nearest hospital to Marseille?
Most major ports have a port-area hospital with seafarer-accustomed admissions; the welfare centre and the ship's agent can both advise. For serious cases, the nearest international hospital is normally in the same city or the next major city. The nearest major airport is Marseille Provence Airport (MRS), about 22 km away — useful for medevac planning.
Is Marseille a recognised crew-change port?
Yes — Marseille is listed in our directory of recognised crew-change hubs, consolidated from IMO MSC.1/Circ.1636, ICS/IFSMA briefings, and ITF priority-port reports. Recognised hubs typically have better port-state and immigration facilitation for crew-change operations, faster visa processing for seafarers, and more welfare-centre presence.

For the arriving crew

Sources & verification (14)
  • country_iso3 · ISO 3166-1 (FR)retrieved 2026-05-05
  • country_name · ISO 3166-1 (FR)retrieved 2026-05-05
  • currency_code · ISO 4217:2015 (EUR)retrieved 2026-05-05
  • currency_name · ISO 4217:2015 (EUR)retrieved 2026-05-05
  • languages · CIA World Factbook (public domain), national-language listing (FR)retrieved 2026-05-05
  • timezone_iana · IANA tz database (Europe/Paris)retrieved 2026-05-05
  • timezone_dst · ECMA-402 Intl.DateTimeFormat (computed) (Europe/Paris)retrieved 2026-05-05
  • electricity · IEC TR 60083 plug-and-socket standard list (FR)retrieved 2026-05-05
  • function_codes_expanded · UNECE Rec. 16 — UN/LOCODE function-code mask (12-45---)retrieved 2026-05-05
  • timezone_utc_offset · ECMA-402 Intl.DateTimeFormat (computed) (Europe/Paris)retrieved 2026-05-06
  • nearest_major_airport · OurAirports (CC0) — davidmegginson.github.io/ourairports-data (MRS)retrieved 2026-05-07
  • wikidata_qid · Wikidata SPARQL (P1937 UN/LOCODE join) (Q1902682)retrieved 2026-05-07
  • port_authority · Wikidata SPARQL (P1937 UN/LOCODE join) (Q125772291)retrieved 2026-05-07
  • climate_classification · Kottek et al. 2006 / Beck et al. 2018 — country-coastal Köppen zone (FR)retrieved 2026-05-07

Last verified

High confidence

Editorial confidence: how we grade. Data sources and methodology: /sources.