MSC Ship Crash Reignites Calls For Venice Cruise Ship Ban
On Sunday a Video of the MSC Opera crashing into a Venice Pier and small river ship went viral !! This has reignited the fight from locals to have cruise ships banned from Venice. The incident left four people injured and was followed by a protest organised by the activist group No Big Ships. Another protest is planned for Saturday.
The MSC Opera which carries around 2700 passengers suffered an engine failure causing the ship to crash.
Italy’s government is discussing whether giant cruise ships should be allowed in Venice, the problem that the Venetians are facing is that if they ban large cruise ships their tourism will suffer.
Cruise ships that sail exceptionally close to the shore have been blamed for damage to the lagoon city’s foundations and the fragile ecosystem and criticised for the high levels of pollution. Meanwhile, the thousands of tourists descending from cruise ships are accused of overwhelming the main tourist sights and contributing little to the local economy. Environment Minister Sergio Costa wrote on Twitter “What happened in the port of Venice is confirmation of what we have been saying for some time, cruise ships must not sail down the Giudecca, We have been working on moving them for months now and are nearing a solution”
There are plans in place to have ships dock at Marghera’s port and transport infrastructure which is currently under construction, This means large ships will no longer sail past St Marks Square.
I think moving the ships to Marghera’s port is the right move, passengers will still be able to enjoy the sights of Venice and this means no further damage to Giudecca canal. The idea that large cruise ships will be banned completely most likely won’t happen but the government are listening to the people and trying to find a solution, What are your thoughts on this?
8 Comments on “MSC Ship Crash Reignites Calls For Venice Cruise Ship Ban”
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Hi Everyone Thanks for taking the time to visit my page. My Name is Jenna McGhee from Bonnie Scotland where I live with my Lovely husband, my son who is the apple of my eye and our little Yorkie Ollie. I have worked in the travel industry for the past…
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When staying in Venice the cruise ships felt like an enormously oversized intrusion on a unique experience. I now avoid any cruises going to Venice
The ship had a pilot. Also two tugs secured centre leads. Vessel suffered a black out, which in turn loses propulsion, steering etc. However the emergency gennie is required to kick in within 30 seconds. This supplies power amongst other items to essential navigation equipment and a steering engine. Vessel was proceeding at slow speed, but the aft tug cannot stop a vessel this size instantly. The ford tug is of limited use, imparting headway. Likewise no mention of bollard pull. Ships basically being a big machine do fail occasionally, but that said they are remarkably reliable, this a reference to all ship not just cruise Vl. Whether they should use the canal for port entry is debatable, maximum tonnage and dimensions limits to be reduced, as appropriate with in the context of the channel width Many very large ships eg 400 m container vls transit relatively narrow channels for port entry with appropriate limitations and tug availability
I agree with the people of Venice , this new port sounds like a good answer to the problem .
There was two tugs with the ship but one of the lines snapped leaving just one tug to cope. With just one tug and no steerage there was no way to stop this happening.
All cruise ships in and out of Venice have to have tugs in attendance. This particular ship did have tugs assisting when
the engine malfunctioned, however a line to a tug broke and therefore they were unable to stop or slow the ship. It was also docking so had already passed down the canal.
All ship should tender their passengers into Venice and remain off shore. This will slow down the sudden influx of passengers into Venice, and will be more comfortable for its mercantile traffic, and prevent erosion of the embankment to this marvellous city.
Venice is an island and cannot have millions of tourists walking around not spending money. Tourist companies should be aware of this and allow it visitors time and space to invest the the city. Allow a few days in Venice before or after a trip there and fill all the guest houses and hotels.
This argument has been raging for years but if a tug’s line snaps it is not the fault of the cruise ship. A ban would deprive passengers of one of the world’s greatest sights … the cruise past Venice’s wonderful scenery.
Sad part to all this is we were booked on the River Countess for our Golden wedding.