Fishermen blocked an oil depot in Fos-sur-Mer, in southern France, from 3am on Tuesday morning to protest against rising fuel prices and worsening working conditions.
On Tuesday morning, several dozen fishermen were blocking an oil depot in Fos-sur-Mer (Bouches-du-Rhône) to protest against rising fuel prices and the deterioration in their working conditions, reported AFP.
They were also calling to meet with Fisheries Minister Catherine Chabaud.
“The blockade of the oil depot began at 3am,” said Ange Natoli, a representative of the fishermen.
The Bouches-du-Rhône préfecture said around 50 tanker trucks were being prevented from leaving the Fos oil terminal. No major incidents had been reported, apart from a fire involving some wooden pallets.
The protest comes as fuel prices in France have reached record levels. The average price of unleaded 95-E10 rose by 2.3 cents last week to almost €2.11 per litre, according to government figures released on Monday. This was the highest level since the government began collecting the data in 1985, and the sixth consecutive week of increases.
Diesel prices also rose, reaching around €2.29 per litre on average, up 3.4 cents in one week. The price of fuel has been pushed higher by rising oil prices linked to the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
The protest follows similar demonstrations on Monday in Sète, in the Hérault, and Port-Vendres, in the Pyrénées-Orientales. Fisheries organisations and seafarers’ unions in the Mediterranean launched a joint campaign on Monday. They said the action would continue until the government provides “concrete responses” to the sector’s main demands.
Fishermen say their working conditions have been getting worse, particularly because of rising operating and fuel costs. They are also protesting against what they describe as an increase in administrative and regulatory requirements.
France is the EU’s second-largest producer of fishery products, behind Spain. French fishermen caught around 477,000 tonnes of fish and shellfish in 2024, according to government figures, almost unchanged from 2023.
