First phase of Port Hercule seabed clean-up completed
By Zak Jackson, MonacoViews Editorial
Monaco's Maritime Affairs Department has finished the first phase of an underwater waste removal operation at Port Hercule.
Divers from the Maritime Affairs Department have completed the opening phase of a clean-up operation targeting waste on the seabed at Port Hercule. The work, under way since the start of summer, has involved close coordination with the Maritime Police, Monaco's firefighters and the Carabiniers, reflecting the scale of the logistics required to clear debris from the port floor without disrupting vessel traffic.
For anyone who keeps a boat in Port Hercule or simply walks the quaysides, the operation addresses a problem that rarely gets attention because it sits out of sight. Accumulated waste on the seabed affects water quality and marine life directly beneath one of the busiest stretches of coastline in the Principality, an area that hosts everything from small tenders to superyachts during the summer season.
Authorities have not yet detailed the volume or nature of material recovered, nor confirmed a timeline for subsequent phases of the operation. The involvement of multiple emergency services alongside the Maritime Affairs Department suggests the clean-up is being treated as a sustained environmental priority rather than a one-off exercise.