Over 1,200 houseboats are regularly moored at Paris embankments (photo)
In 2013, the Mayor’s office of Paris (France) registered over 1,200 permanently inhabited passenger vessels (so called houseboats) along the embankments of Seine River. As IAA PortNews journalist learnt from the representative of the Mayor’s office at international logistic exhibition CITL-2013, two recent decades saw a considerable growth of houseboats. “Earlier, such vessels were moored alongside the embankments while today they moor bow or stern and specialized mooring places are still insufficient. Some 40% of passenger vessels are illegally located in forbidden places along the Paris embankments, at the risk of fines of up to EUR 12,000,” the official explained to IAA PortNews journalist.
The lease of a mooring site along the Paris embankments is up to EUR 2,000 per month. The proceeds come to the city budget. The waiting list for signing such a lease agreement means over a year of expectation. “Living onboard your own vessel is getting more and more popular in France, and not because of the crisis – is it more likely a tribute to fashion, the Mayor’s office representative remarked.
Houseboats are mainly built by one of a ship repair yards located some 20 km from Paris. They are made of former cargo barges. The construction of a passenger vessel with a living area of 330 square meters and additional 150 square meters of a terrace totals about EUR 400,000. The period of contract execution is 8 months.