The Italian government has announced it will pay €57.5 million in compensation to cruise companies affected by the decision to ban large ships from the Venice lagoon.
The ban has been in effect since August.
Approximately €30 million has been allocated for 2021 to shipping companies that incurred costs to “reschedule routes and reimburse passengers who canceled trips,” the Ministry of Infrastructure said in a statement. A further €27.5 million, €5 million this year and the remainder in 2022, was allocated to the terminal operator and related companies.
According to the government's plan, cruise ships will not be completely banned in Venice, but the largest vessels will no longer be allowed to pass through the San Marco Basin, the San Marco Canal, or the Giudecca Canal. Instead, they will be diverted to the industrial port of Marghera. Even so, critics of the plan point out that Marghera, being on the mainland, unlike the passenger terminal located on the islands, is still within the Venetian Lagoon.
Some aspects of the plan remain unclear, as infrastructure is still being built in Marghera. In the meantime, smaller cruises are still permitted through the St. Mark and Giudecca canals.
Cruise ships provide a major economic boost to Venice, but activists and residents say the ships contribute to problems caused by “excessive tourism” and create large waves that undermine the city’s foundations and damage the fragile ecosystem of its lagoon.
