Italy Agrees Compensation Over Venice Cruise Ship Ban

The Italian government announced 57.5 million euros ($65 million) in compensation Friday for cruise companies and operators affected by its decision to ban large ships from the centre of Venice

Rome, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 3rd Dec, 2021 ) :The Italian government announced 57.5 million Euros ($65 million) in compensation Friday for cruise companies and operators affected by its decision to ban large ships from the centre of Venice.

The ban, which took effect in August, followed years of warnings that the giant floating hotels risked causing irreparable damage to the lagoon city, a UNESCO world heritage site.

Some 30 million euros has been allocated for 2021 for shipping companies who incurred costs in "rescheduling routes and refunding passengers who cancelled trips", the infrastructure ministry said in a statement.

A further 27.5 million euros -- five million this year and the rest in 2022 -- was allocated for the terminal operator and related companies, it said.

The decision to ban large cruise ships from the centre of Venice in July came just days before a meeting of the UN's cultural organisation UNESCO, which had proposed adding Venice to a list of endangered heritage sites.

The biggest ships are due to be diverted to the city's industrial port of Marghera, although the infrastructure is still being built. Smaller cruise liners are still allowed through St Mark's and the Giudecca canals.

The passengers aboard cruise ships provide a huge economic boost to Venice, but many residents complain the ships cause large waves that undermine the city's foundations and harm the fragile ecosystem of its lagoon.