Italy's government to ban cruise ships from Venice

Venice

ITALY announced on Tuesday that it was banning large cruise ships from entering Venice's waters and was also declaring the city's lagoon a national monument, in a move to protect a fragile ecosystem from the downsides of mass tourism.

The ban, demanded for decades by both Venice residents and environmentalists, will take effect on Aug 1.

"The intervention could no longer be delayed," Italy's culture minister, Dario Franceschini, said in a statement.

In recent weeks, as cruise ships returned to Venice after the pause imposed by the pandemic, protesters in the city rallied on small boats and on the waterfront with "No big boats" flags. Last Sunday, they demonstrated during the Group of 20 summit for economic ministers that took place in the city, attracting international media attention.

In April, Prime Minister Mario Draghi's government announced that it was planning to ban large cruise ships from the San Marco basin, the San Marco canal and the Giudecca canal, but no date for the ban was set. Also, the prohibition was conditioned on the building of a new port where tourists could disembark to visit the city, a project that could take years.

Tuesday's decision removed that condition, so the ban could be enforced in weeks, not years.

Mr Draghi's Cabinet also moved to establish compensation for sailing companies that will be affected by the ban and for other businesses connected to the cruise traffic inside the lagoon.

Mr Franceschini explained that the government had drafted the urgent decree to avoid "the real risk of the city being put on the blacklist of "World Heritage in Danger" sites established by Unesco, the UN culture body. In 2019, Unesco warned Venice about the "damage caused by a steady stream of cruise ships."

Before a Unesco World Heritage Committee beginning later this week that could have seen Venice added to the blacklist, the Italian government approved the decree, making Venice's waterways a national monument, a status that puts the lagoon under enhanced state protection.

Over the last 10 years, Venice has been caught up in a clash between those representing the economic interests of cruise traffic - which employs thousands of people in the area - and others who want to protect a delicate environment from gigantic boats that disgorge tourists en masse.

The ban applies to ships that are either heavier than 25,000 tons, longer than 180 metres, taller than 35 metres, or that employ more than a set amount of fuel in manoeuvring. The ban is such that even large yachts could be affected.

The government also decided to give power to the regional port authority to determine how five temporary docks can be built in Marghera, a nearby industrial port, while respecting maritime safety and environmental laws.

Francesco Galietti, national director for the Cruise Lines International Association, said the cruise industry is hoping that the new docking sites would be ready in 2022, when tourists are expected to return en masse to cruises. This year, only 20 liners were expected to arrive in Venice. NYTIMES