Large Cruise Ships to Be Diverted from Venice City Center?

Large cruise ships could be banned from berthing in Venice’s city center, the Italian government said.

A plan has been proposed by Danilo Toninelli, Italy’s Transport Minister, to reroute part of large ships from the Guidecca canal, one of the major canals in the city, starting from September this year.

As informed, cruise vessels might be gradually diverted to the Fusina and Lombardy docks in the future.

The first meeting on the matter was held at the headquarters of Venice Port Authority on August 6, with representatives of the government, port authority, cruise terminals and companies being present, among others. It will be followed by another meeting scheduled for late August.

The proposal comes following an incident involving a cruise ship that occurred in Venice’s city center two months ago. As World Maritime News earlier reported, MSC Opera cruise vessel crashed into a dock in the Giudecca canal, hitting a tourist boat. After the incident, conservationists and environmentalists called on the Italian government to ban cruise vessels in this historic city.

Last week, the Port of Venice called on European ports to develop a new form of sustainable cruising. Prompted by recent incidents involving large cruise ships, Pino Musolino, President of the North Adriatic Sea Port Authority, sent a letter to ports in Malaga, Barcelona, Marseille, Zeebrugge, Dubrovnik, Hamburg, Amsterdam and the Balearic Islands, inviting them to gather together and discuss the economic and environmental impact of the cruise industry in Europe.

World Maritime News Staff