A local court in Nice has thrown out Mayor Christian Estrosi’s attempt to limit cruise ship arrivals, calling the move illegal and beyond his authority. The ruling came just four days after Estrosi issued the order on July 9 to restrict access to the Port of Nice and Villefranche-sur-Mer.

The Administrative Court ruled on Sunday, July 13, that only the prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes department has the power to regulate ship traffic. “It is up to the prefect to organize the entry, exit, and movement of ships,” the judge stated. Estrosi’s dual role as mayor and president of the metropolitan area didn’t give him the legal right to impose maritime restrictions. Ironically, it was Prefect Laurent Hottiaux who filed the court challenge.

Estrosi’s order aimed to cut down cruise visits in the name of fighting climate change and protecting marine life. He’s long claimed cruise ships are major polluters—“three times worse than airplanes,” he says. But now that the order is suspended, Estrosi is pushing back. He warned that if national authorities don’t act soon to curb large cruise ships, the city may sue the State for failing to protect the environment.

The controversy follows a dramatic scene involving Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas, which dropped anchor off Villefranche-sur-Mer on July 11 with over 3,100 passengers—well above Estrosi’s new 2,500-passenger limit. Estrosi boarded a port police boat and tried to deliver a letter with the new rules directly to the ship’s captain. But the captain refused to let him board, citing maritime protocol. A video shows Estrosi shouting, “You are not allowed to be here, you are nothing!” while waving the letter from the small boat beside the massive cruise ship.

Critics have blasted the move as a theatrical stunt, saying it undermines serious environmental concerns with political showmanship. For now, Estrosi’s fight against cruise ships faces legal roadblocks—and growing skepticism.