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?