You may have read reports over the weekend that cruise ships have been completely banned from Venice in Italy, however, CLIA Europe says this is not the case.
Fed up with misinformation being spread, CLIA Europe released a statement to explain what is really going on.
“Discussions concerning the future of cruise ships using the Guidecca Canal have been ongoing for several years and those discussions continue today without any conclusion,” CLIA explained.
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While speaking in the Italian Parliament last week, The Italian Minister for Transport Danilo Toninelli reported that he has set up a working group to look at alternative solutions to cruise ships docking in Venice.
This could see some ships rerouted to the mainland Fusina and Lombardia terminals, but no decision has been made.
Residents of Venice claim the large ships and the many tourists they bring threaten to overwhelm them.
The push for cruise ships to stop docking in Venice was reignited earlier this year when cruise ship MSC Opera collided with Uniworld’s River Countess.
The crash saw five people injured and new calls for cruise ships to be banned.
Secretary-General of Cruise Lines International Association Europe Tom Boardley said the cruise industry has worked “diligently” with the Minister, the Mayor of Venice, the Veneto Region, the Port Authority and many other stakeholders to find viable solutions to allow larger cruise ships to access the Marittima berths without transiting the Giudecca Canal.
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“We are still in agreement with the solution developed by Comitatone in 2017 to utilise the Vittorio Emanuele Canal as the best and most prudent means to move larger cruise ships away from the Giudecca,” Tom Boardley said.
“CLIA cruise line members welcome and will support the urgent implementation of this solution.”