Venice bans big ships

Starting Dec. 1, 2014, cruise ships of 96,000 tonnes or more will no longer be allowed to enter Venice, Italy’s, Giudecca Canal to pass by sites such as St. Mark’s Square and the Doge’s Palace. 

This agreement between the government of Italy and the Cruise Lines International Association comes after years of complaints from Venetians and environmentalists, who claimed that the presence of the large ships threatens the lagoons and that the high numbers of passengers overwhelm local sights. 

A similar ban was lifted in March. After 32 people were killed in the Costa Concordia accident off of Tuscany in January 2012, ships over 40,000 tonnes were banned from entering the lagoon that surrounds the islands of Venice, and the number of other, smaller ships that could enter at one time was limited. However, a regional tribunal rescinded the ban, saying there were no alternate routes for the large ships to take and that no negative impact from their presence in the city had been proven.

The agreement also calls for ships to use fuel that is not more than 0.1% sulfur. Local groups have pointed out that a large cruise ship can put out as much pollution in one hour as 15,000 cars, including up to 15 times the amount of sulfur, creating acidic conditions that further damage the city’s already eroding buildings.