Venice puts large cruise ship ban in place
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Large cruise ships will be banned from sailing into Venice’s city centre next year after the Italian government came to an agreement last week.
Ships can currently pass within 1,000 feet of St Mark’s Square but from next year vessels that are more than 96,000 tonnes will be banned from sailing in Saint Mark’s basin and the Giudecca Canal.
Ships of more than 40,000 tonnes will also be limited to five a day.
The ban was due to come into effect this year and was overturned by a regional tribunal, but the Italian government has stepped into preserve the future of the city’s historic buildings.
Several celebrities have recently signed petitions against large ships in the canal including Michael Douglas, Cate Blanchett, Sir Michael Caine and Susan Sarandon.
Transport minister Maurizio Lupi said: “It seems to me to be a balanced solution which takes account of our duty to remove the skyscrapers of the sea from the canals of Venice, while safeguarding a world heritage city that is the envy of the world and protecting the city’s economy which is so linked to cruise tourism.”
More than 40 cruise ships from lines including Celebrity Cruises, Costa Cruises, MSC, Norwegian Cruise Line and Princess Cruises will be banned.
Larger ships will still be allowed to visit Venice from Marghera where passengers would be transported on smaller vessels.
CLIA told The Daily Telegraph it has asked for construction on an alternative canal as soon as possible. If work does not begin soon then cruise lines will not be able to sell Venice in their itineraries for 2015.
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