Cruise ships to be routed away from Venice’s city centre

According to a report in the Financial Times, from next month, some cruise ships would be directed to the Venice’s outlying Fusina and Lombardia terminals.

The aim by next year is to re-route a third of Venice’s cruise traffic away from Venice’s Marittima terminal in the city centre.

The decision comes after five passengers were hurt when earlier this when MSC Opera collided with Uniworld’s River Countess the city’s Giudecca canal.

Venice’s port authority called on a number of Europe’s other popular cruise destinations to join forces to demand the cruise sector take greater responsibility for its impact on city ports earlier this month.

CLIA director UK and Ireland, Andy Harmer, said:

CLIA and the cruise industry are continuing to work with local stakeholders to agree a long term solution in Venice. CLIA cruise lines welcomed the statements by the mayor of Venice demanding an urgent solution that would allow larger cruise vessels to access Venice cruise terminal Marittima via an alternative route that avoids the Giudecca canal. CLIA cruise lines recognise the mayor’s views are supported by many locally in the Veneto region and also in the national government [and] have been actively engaged in discussions for a considerable time about using the Vittorio Emanuele canal as the preferred alternative solution.