Ship agents in Italy claim a fresh move to ban large cruiseships from berthing in the centre of Venice is tantamount to passing a death sentence on the historic city.
The Association of Shipping Agents of Veneto — of which Venice is the cultural and tourism jewel — and national federation Federagenti have hit out in response to comments made by two Italian government ministers.
They expressed their anger in a joint statement addressing views posted on social networks by Alberto Bonisoli, the minister of culture and heritage activities, and endorsed by Danilo Toninelli, minister of infrastructure and transport.
Protected waterways
A spokesman for the agents said the ministers have proposed a law declaring the waterways of the Venice lagoon, including the Giudecca Canal, a historical area of archaeological significance protected from economic activity.
This would stop large cruiseships transiting the lagoon.
Alessandro Santi, chairman of the Association of Shipping Agents of Veneto, described a ban on vessels transiting the lagoon as a “sentence of death” for the port.
He said the link between the port and the city is “tight and unbreakable”.
It is claimed that around 14,000 people earn their livelihoods either directly or indirectly in Venice from cruiseship visits.
We have always made ourselves available for dialogue and we will continue to do so to guarantee a future for our city
In addition, more than €1bn ($1.15bn) in turnover is claimed to be at stake if the port of Venice effectively closes by shutting its waterways.
Another concern is that the restrictions will mean fewer vessels calling at other Adriatic Sea ports, such as Ravenna, Trieste and Dubrovnik, as Venice is the big attraction in the region.
“We have always made ourselves available for dialogue and we will continue to do so to guarantee a future for our city,” Santi said.
However, ship agents’ protests are likely to fall on deaf ears as far as many local residents are concerned.
They have been lobbying for a long time to curb cruiseships disembarking thousands of passengers in the historic centre each week because they feel overwhelmed.
Cruiseships are claimed also to be damaging the historical infrastructure of Gothic and Byzantine buildings, as well as polluting the waters.
The latest comments from ministers Bonisoli and Toninelli chime with an Italian government committee last year.
In November, ministers agreed that by 2021 cruiseships of more than 55,000 gt should be prevented from passing through St Mark’s Basin and berthing in the city.
A change of government meant the plan was never implemented in law and tensions have continued to increase.
