Venice Bans Cruise Ships From Sailing Past Historic Centre

In a historic move, Venice has banned all large cruises from sailing past its historic centre. This comes at a time when the cruise industry is already reeling under the pandemic effect.

Venice is known for its history and heritage which attracts tourists from all over the world. So, the city always had a fair share of cruise ships visitors and most of these cruise ships seem to have a negative impact on the city

The latest move of prohibiting passenger ships and container ships weighing more than 40,000tons from sailing past the historic centre seeks to curtail this negative impact of cruise ships.

Representation Image – Credits: Mariordo/wikimedia.org

A new terminal is likely to be built outside the lagoon for these large vessels which come to Venice. Previously these ships could pass unrestricted in front of St. Mark’s square. The new rule is putting an end to this

Now, the cruise ships have to dock at the Marghera Port, far off from the Grand Canal. In the past, the lagoon of Venice faced quite a few difficulties now and then because of these ships.

Frequent accidents happened as cruise ships often came in the way of tourist boats. During one such incident, a ship collided with a tourist boast and a dock back in 2019. This injured a person. The government has tried to remedy this situation in the past but has failed miserably each time.

Italy’s Culture Minister Dario Francheschini reiterated when he said, “Anyone who has visited Venice in recent years has been shocked to see these ships, hundreds of metres long and as tall as apartment buildings, passing through such fragile places.”

The historic floating city is a natural heritage and a top drawing tourist attraction where cruise ships can be hazardous. So, clearing up the cruise ship act will be good for both the environment and tourism in the region.

Reference: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Source: Maritime Shipping News