The Maritime Prefecture of the Mediterranean is launching a campaign aimed at the safety of nautical leisure activities. Striking images and slogans are being used to warn particularly about the dangers of alcohol and speed. In 2022, close to 50 people lost their lives at sea in the Mediterranean.
“I was just going a little too fast” or “I had barely drunk”, the phrases are direct, the images even stronger. In the prevention clips, for instance, one can see a drunken boater falling overboard and drowning, or a swimmer being hit by a speedboat.
This year, the Maritime Prefecture of the Mediterranean is launching what it describes as a “committed” communication campaign to alert the general public along the entire coastline, from Menton to Perpignan. The goals are to remind people of basic sea safety rules, make sea users responsible, but especially to “emphasize the aggravating factors” like speed, alcohol, and drugs.
48 Deaths at Sea in 2022
Vice-Admiral Gilles Boidevezi, Maritime Prefect of the Mediterranean, had already set the tone on May 4th with a worrying observation. In 2022, CROSS Med faced yet another year of intense activity: +2% of operations conducted, +4.5% of operations involving human life, and a shocking +30% in deaths, totaling 48 deaths at sea.
Since 2019, these figures have been sharply increasing: +57% of operations conducted and a staggering +169% in deaths. This, despite increased awareness and enhanced presence at sea.
Aiming to Make an Impact
The Maritime Prefecture believes that the experiences of recent years show that “carelessness, inexperience, and unpreparedness are the main factors leading to the increase in rescue operations in the Mediterranean, just like the massive influx of users in the summer season, which necessarily involves less ‘seafaring’ practitioners.”
Hence, the campaign aims to make a striking impact so that everyone finally becomes aware of the risks and develops a “more responsible and citizen-like behavior.”
Until now, more consensual messages were preferred, but it was noticed that these were not effective. Therefore, a more striking approach was adopted, modeled on what is already done for road safety.
All these visuals and clips will be shared on social media throughout the summer. Several institutional and associative partners are also expected to relay the messages.
Furthermore, the Maritime Prefecture announces an increase in sea controls with expanded and enhanced daily presence, targeting of high-risk areas and periods of high traffic, as well as targeted ‘punch’ operations for sea safety.
Find more from La préfecture maritime de la Méditerranée (France, July 2023)
Alcohol Awareness 