Italy gave in on a Venice Cruise Ship Ban after residents and other bodies protested against it for years.
The day will be in the “history books” as the ban will be implemented from 1st August. The ban covers the basin around St. Mark’s. This is one of the most popular spots in Venice.
Ships will be banned to enter from the Guidecca Canal and St. Mark’s. These were majorly used by the ship to enter the port.
The Venice Cruise Ship ban is applicable for ships of over 25,000 tons of weight and having a length of over 590 feet. If the ship causes too much pollution or stress to the environment, those will be banned too. The Cruise Liner weighs 4 times that of the new limit.
Dario Franceschini stated that the fast action of the Government was to avoid the risk of adding Venice, to the UNESCO list of heritage in danger.
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UNESCO, residents, and even tourists were astonished to see huge ships entering the frail waters of Venice. The city attracts 30 million tourists every year and most of them arrive on these ships.
The Fight For The Venice Cruise Ship Ban
The residents have fought against these ships for years. They wanted to protect the ecosystem, the old buildings, and its culture but this was not possible with the arrival of these large cruise ships.
The government promised to implement the Venice Cruise Ship ban but did not provide a proper timeline. The government has now agreed to accelerate the ban. It has planned to build 5 docks, away from the lagoon to shelter these cruise liners. In the present situation, the port of Marghera lacks docking facilities.
The Venice Cruise Ship ban will risk several workers losing their jobs. This business bears 3% of the GDP of Venice and 4,000 jobs.
The government has promised to compensate the affected people and is planning an alternate route for the large liners.
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The people working at the Port are worried as their lives depend on it. It might take years to build the new docks. What should they do in that period? They did not expect the Italian government to implement the Venice Cruise Ship ban before finding a solution for the dock.
