Catalano launches tool to simplify Mediterranean anchoring rules

“Captains have more and more information and regulations to deal with, and we felt there had to be a simpler way of bringing together what actually matters to their yacht,” says Tomaso Moreno, CEO of Catalano Shipping Services.

The company has launched Anchorage Intelligence, a digital tool designed to help yacht captains identify anchoring areas, restrictions, and regulatory requirements relevant to their vessel and location.

Anchoring regulations along the Mediterranean coast, particularly in French waters, have evolved in recent years. Captains must account for designated anchoring areas, size-based restrictions, compulsory pilotage zones, and local regulations. Although official sources provide this information, determining which requirements apply to an individual yacht frequently means consulting multiple documents, often published in French.

The complexity has practical implications for international crews planning itineraries and selecting anchorages. Restrictions introduced to protect sensitive marine habitats, including Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows, have also changed where some larger yachts can anchor.

Mapping restrictions to individual yachts

Catalano Shipping Services’ Operations and IT Development teams developed Anchorage Intelligence, which combines a yacht’s specifications with its live position to display relevant information on a dynamic map.

Captains can use the platform to view applicable anchoring areas and restrictions, identify compulsory pilotage zones, access official decrees and documents, and find contact details for pilotage services, lighthouses, and local authorities.

The company says the tool grew out of its teams’ experience assisting yachts and captains, aiming to bring relevant operational information together in one place and make it easier to interpret.

“I’m particularly proud that the solution came from our own Operations and IT teams working together,” Moreno says. “It is exactly the kind of innovation we want to encourage – not technology for the sake of technology, but something practical that can genuinely help the captains and crews we work with.”

The initial release covers the French Mediterranean coast and Corsica. Following testing with a selected group of captains and clients, Catalano has opened early-access registrations. Further geographical coverage and functionality are planned, although no timetable has been announced.

Anchorage Intelligence is intended to support operational decisions, not replace official regulations or navigational documentation. Captains remain responsible for verifying applicable requirements and exercising their own judgement.

Captains can register for early access through the Anchorage Intelligence website.