Italy 1, cruise ships 0. Rome moves to ban cruise ships to Venice.

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ROME – Italy has halted the passage of large cruise ships through the historic center of Venice, after giant ships returned to the lake city since June, and reopened divisions between Venice’s tourism industry and residents who want to ban the giants.

The Italian government decided on Tuesday to prevent large cruise ships from approaching Venice’s canals and plazas until new mooring sites are built on the edge of the lake. Activists against large cruise ships have argued for decades that ships, the waves, and the pollution they cause destroy the delicate fabric of Venice.

The cabinet decision headed by Mario Draghi resolves, for now, a long-running dispute over the lucrative cruise ship traffic that has helped keep Venice’s economy afloat but has angered many residents.

Venice’s reopening to tourism after last year’s Covid-19 restrictions has fueled conflict between local tourism-reliant businesses and residents who want to avoid a return to overcrowding and environmental pressures on the city and surrounding lake.

The increasingly heavy sea traffic in recent years has caused an escalating backlash in Venice, with many saying the heavy wakes of large ships have eroded the fragile foundations of historic buildings on the waterfront.

“This is an essential step to protect the environmental integrity, landscape, art and culture of Venice,” said Italian Transport Minister Enrico Giovannini.

Tuesday’s decree, which takes effect from August 1, makes it unlikely that the giant ships, which for years have lain atop ornate Venetian palaces, will approach famous landmarks such as St Mark’s Square again. The Venice Port Authority has launched a tender for the renovation of berths in an industrial area at a safe distance from the historic center of Venice, which will serve as a temporary docking place for cruise ships. The permanent solution planned is to build a new berth for large ships outside the entrance to the lake. The government did not say how long that would take.

“I am happy and I hope that they will now come up with reasonable solutions for these floating skyscrapers. I am not against their arrival in Venice, but it is time to stop them from passing by St. Mark,” said Marco Lutebrandi, a 52-year-old graphic designer.

The Venice Port Authority is planning to renovate the docks at a safe distance from the historic city center, which will serve as a temporary docking place for cruise ships. Photo: Luca Bruno/Associated Press

But the Venetians working in tourism defended the cruise ships as the lifeblood of the city.

It’s a silly decision. How can you stop such activity suddenly? “I would like them to look at these workers who haven’t worked in 18 months to realize how much damage they are doing,” said Antonio Felica, who works for a cruise ship supplies and baggage carrier.

In 2020, the city area lost about 200 million euros, or $237 million, in revenue due to the lack of cruise ships.

The journey that led to the government’s decision was arduous. Rome initially banned large ships from getting too close to the Italian coast in 2012, after the cruise ship Costa Concordia ran aground off the coast of Tuscany in January of that year.

However, the government made an exception for Venice, until an alternative route was found across the lake. So far, large cruise ships have passed about 1,000 feet from Piazza San Marco, across the famous views of the Giudecca Canal, to dock at the passenger port.

In June 2019, a cruise ship crashed at Venice pier, damaging a smaller boat and injuring five people. The accident sparked a local campaign to keep ships away from the heart of Venice.

Italian authorities did not come up with a solution until early this year, when they decided to open a tender for the development of a temporary alternative docking site within the lake. Tourists can then take smaller boats to the historic town, or take a bus to get to it across the city bridge to the mainland.

The cruise industry welcomed the decision.

“The cruise industry has been supportive of a new approach for many years, so this is a huge step forward,” said the Cruise Lines International Federation, a Washington-based industry body. “We are now looking to make progress towards providing alternative docking arrangements in time for 2022.”

Write to Giovanni Legorano at [email protected]

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