Papeete port authority now requires a permit to anchor in Phaeton Bay
Anchoring or lying in Phaeton Bay near Taravao on Tahiti now requires prior permission from the Port autonome de Papeete. Boats without it may be moved at the owner's expense and risk.
Law NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH
In a notice dated 2 November 2026, the Port autonome de Papeete, the port authority for Tahiti, told the owners of vessels in Phaeton Bay (Baie de Phaëton) near Taravao that anchoring and mooring there now require its prior authorisation. The authority relies on Article D. 112-1 of the French Polynesia maritime ports code, under which nobody may occupy the port area without an occupancy permit. Any vessel at anchor without authorisation is, in the words of the notice, there irregularly.
Owners have 15 days from delivery or posting of the notice to report to the port authority with photo ID and the vessel's papers: the certificate of registration or navigation, an insurance certificate and the notice of nautical operation. Without a permit the boat has to leave the bay. If the owner does not act, the authority will start clearing the area, which can end with the vessel being moved at the owner's expense and risk. The cruising portal noonsite reported the notice on 8 November 2026.
The reason given is the cyclone season. According to the authority, the current El Niño episode raises the risk of severe storms, and a poorly moored or damaged boat can drag, sink and pollute the bay. It is therefore counting the vessels in the bay and intends to remove those without a permit.
What this means for owners
An insurance certificate is one of the documents the port authority wants to see before it grants a permit, so anyone sailing in French Polynesia should keep a current one on board, ideally in French or English and showing third party liability cover. Before arriving, ask your insurer in writing whether your agreed cruising area includes French Polynesia and what conditions apply while the boat lies unattended at anchor during the cyclone season. The cost of an official relocation follows from a breach of the port rules; the only way to avoid it is to apply in time or to leave the bay. Those most affected are cruising and long distance yachts, meaning sailing yachts, cruising catamarans and trawlers, that spend the season in the bay.
Our view as NAMMERT, not part of the news. Your own policy wording decides.
Where this comes from
- Source: Port autonome de Papeete: Avis aux propriétaires de navires, Baie de Phaëton, 2. November 2026
- Source: noonsite: French Polynesia, Tahiti: Anchoring in Phaeton Bay Prohibited without Authorisation, 8. November 2026
The text is our own; the sources supplied the facts and figures, not the wording.
