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Venice ordered to lift ban on cruise ships
A limit on the number of large cruise ships that can visit Venice has been lifted just months after it was imposed by the Italian government.
Since January, the government has reduced by 20% the number of cruise ships over 40,000 tons due to fears they were damaging the World Heritage-listed city.
It was also planning to ban all ships over 96,000 tons from Venice altogether from November.
However, a regional court in Veneto has suspended the law, ruling that the risks posed by the cruise ships have not been proven.
The suspension will last until June, when the issue will be re-examined.
Venice is working on plans to open a new shipping route into the city which will avoid cruise liners from sailing along its ancient canals, but these have not yet been approved.
Environment minister Gian Luca Galletti said that he believed it was "still possible to find a solution as soon as possible to avoid the continual presence of big ships in the ancient canals of Venice".
Venice’s mayor Giorgio Orsoni wants to see cruise ships dock at Porto Marghera, an industrial town in the province of Venice.
Other suggestions have included a floating off-shore port or the dredging of a new approach to the cruise passenger terminal that avoids the narrow canals around St Marks Square.
Cruise industry body CLIA said it looked forward to the final judgment on June 12.
A UK spokeswoman said: "We are very attentive to this issue and we look forward to a final judgment when it becomes firm on June 12th.
"CLIA wants to highlight, once again, how important Venice and the Venice Cruise Terminal are for the entire cruise industry. The cruise industry seeks regulatory certainty and wishes to work with all stakeholders to deliver a long-term solution that safeguards the sustainability of Venice and its cultural and environmental heritage."
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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