Early risers in Venice were surprised to see a cruise ship shut down the Giudecca Canal for the first time since the start of the pandemic.
Kyiv. Ukraine. Ukraine Gate – June 06, 2021 – Tourism and Travel
The ship sailed despite repeated government pledges to reroute such huge ships due to safety and environmental concerns.
The 92,409-ton MSC Orchestra passed through the basin in front of Canal Saint Mark around 6 a.m. escorted by a tugboat and the Port Authority, before leaving the first post-pandemic cruise ship from Venice, scheduled for Saturday.
Its arrival comes two years after the MSC Opera reached a pier and a tourist riverboat in the same canal, an event that underscored safety concerns among cruise ship control activists.
Protests against the renewal of cruise traffic are erupting, just two and a half months after Italy’s culture minister, Dario Franceschini pledged to permanently halt the passage of large ships through the heart of the city.
It includes an open letter from the nonprofit Venice Heritage, signed by celebrities including musician Mick Jagger, actress Tilda Swinton, director Wes Anderson, and director Francis Ford Coppola.
“Venice is suffering, and we, citizens of the world, cannot remain deaf to its cries,” read the open letter – addressed to Italian officials including Prime Minister Mario Draghi, members of his government, the mayor of Venice, and the governor of Veneto.
“This fragile entity, (a) a World Heritage Site, cannot survive without our help,” the letter added.
The signatories set 10 priorities for the city, including stopping the passage of huge ships through Venice and better managing mass tourism.
In March, the Italian government passed a law aimed at permanently banning cruise ship traffic through Venice.
Italy’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Sustainable Mobility told The Associated Press that the bidding process will open “any day now” to “ideas aimed at identifying better structural solutions to achieve a new mooring area for large ships outside Lake Venice.”
The ministry said in an email that the new terminal will be used for cruise ships and containers.
In the meantime, in 2022, as a temporary solution, a certain number of ships will be able to dock in Marghera, facilitating transit in Venice.
Cruise industry officials told the AP that Marghera, an industrial port within Lake Venice, does not currently have adequate facilities to serve as a passenger terminal.
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Source: Ukrgate