In any case, not a big one: From August on, cruise giants will no longer be allowed to drive as far as Venice’s old town
After years of protests by citizens’ initiatives and just as long delaying and delaying tactics by the Venetian authorities and the tourism industry, the breakthrough comes as a surprise: On Tuesday evening, Italy’s Minister of Infrastructure Enrico Giovannini announced after a cabinet meeting that cruise ships would not use the San Marco basin and the Canale della Giudecca in Venice allowed to happen more. The ban applies to ships weighing more than 25,000 gross registered tonnes, more than 180 meters in length or more than 35 meters in height, i.e. only for the largest steamers. From August 1st they have to avoid the lagoon city and call at the industrial port of Marghera. Smaller cruise ships should still be allowed to dock at the port of the historic center.
Giovannini described the ban as “a necessary step to protect the environment, the landscape and the artistic and cultural integrity of Venice”; Culture Minister Dario Franceschini even spoke of a “historic moment for Venice”. The ban that has now been issued takes into account the concerns of UNESCO and the citizens, who have been appalled for years that such giants are allowed to pass unhindered in front of the “most beautiful and at the same time most vulnerable place in the world”. Prime Minister Mario Draghi, who had spoken out in favor of the banishment of the giant pots from Venice at an early stage, had simply broken patience: The ban was passed on Tuesday by decree, i.e. by emergency law.
The pressure on the government in Rome to finally do something had increased in recent weeks: At the end of June, Unesco threatened to put Venice on the “red list” of those World Heritage cities that could lose this status. The UN experts criticized the fact that the cruise giants can approach within a few dozen meters of the Piazza San Marco and the Doge’s Palace; the waves caused by the ships damage the foundations of the lagoon city. In addition, Unesco criticized a “considerable loss of authenticity” that had occurred due to mass tourism and the associated emigration of local residents. Venice and its lagoon have been Unesco World Heritage Sites since 1987.
Simultaneously with the enactment of the ban, the Draghi government created a fund of 157 million euros: primarily to invest in the port of Marghera, where the large cruise ships will dock over the next few years. However, part of the money is also reserved for compensation payments to companies and private individuals who will suffer financial losses after the ban comes into force. The President of the Veneto Region Tourism Association, Marco Michielli, described the government’s decision as a “good compromise”. The choice of the port of Marghera was “the only solution that can be implemented at short notice”.
The lagoon continues to suffer
In fact, it is only a temporary solution: in the long term, the cruise giants are to be banned entirely from the lagoon with its endangered ecosystem, not just from the immediate vicinity of Venice’s old town. An offshore terminal is planned outside the lagoon, where the ships can dock; from there the passengers are brought to Venice in smaller boats. Corresponding plans are already in place; It will take several years until the project is realized.
For Andrea Carandini, President of the Italian environmental organization Fondo per l’Ambiente, the fact that large ships will continue to be allowed to sail into the lagoon in the immediate future is a major downer: “We are of course happy for Venice, but not for the lagoon.” Because in order to divert the ships to Marghera, the existing fairways to the container terminal would have to be deepened, which is also harmful to the lagoon’s ecosystem. Carandini is also a little lacking in the belief that Marghera is only a temporary solution: “I wonder how provisional is a measure for which more than 100 million euros are invested – such sums are usually for long-term structures spent, ”emphasizes Carandini.
