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| Cruise ship access to Venice at stake in mayoral election | Cruise ship access to Venice at stake in mayoral election |
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| When George Clooney married Amal Alamuddin in Venice last year, the only snag in the otherwise glamorous affair was a photobomb by an uninvited guest: the Norwegian Jade, a 94,000-ton cruise liner that momentarily stopped the Hollywood star and his entourage in their watery tracks. | When George Clooney married Amal Alamuddin in Venice last year, the only snag in the otherwise glamorous affair was a photobomb by an uninvited guest: the Norwegian Jade, a 94,000-ton cruise liner that momentarily stopped the Hollywood star and his entourage in their watery tracks. |
| The sight of ships trudging along the fragile canals of Venice has long been a source of anger for environmentalists – and celebrities – who claim they are not only an eyesore but an ecological disaster waiting to happen in a historic and vulnerable city. | |
| But the years-long debate over cruise ships’ access to Venice – one that reached a fever pitch following the deadly Costa Concordia shipwreck off the coast of Tuscany in 2012 – is now nearing a decisive moment. | But the years-long debate over cruise ships’ access to Venice – one that reached a fever pitch following the deadly Costa Concordia shipwreck off the coast of Tuscany in 2012 – is now nearing a decisive moment. |
| Last year the Italian government moved to ban megaships from entering Venice or passing Piazza San Marco. But the ban was reversed in January and the transport minister who supported it, Maurizio Lupi, has since resigned in the wake of a corruption scandal. | Last year the Italian government moved to ban megaships from entering Venice or passing Piazza San Marco. But the ban was reversed in January and the transport minister who supported it, Maurizio Lupi, has since resigned in the wake of a corruption scandal. |
| The resignation last year of the Venice mayor Giorgio Orsoni in another corruption scandal has meant the debate over cruise ships has largely been on hold. That is likely to end with the election of a new mayor, to be chosen in a runoff election on Sunday, which will have an enormous influence on the kinds of cruise liners that will be allowed to dock in Venice and – critically for the industry – the route they will be allowed to take to get there. | The resignation last year of the Venice mayor Giorgio Orsoni in another corruption scandal has meant the debate over cruise ships has largely been on hold. That is likely to end with the election of a new mayor, to be chosen in a runoff election on Sunday, which will have an enormous influence on the kinds of cruise liners that will be allowed to dock in Venice and – critically for the industry – the route they will be allowed to take to get there. |
| The race has pit a businessman who supports the cruise ships, Luigi Brugnaro, against a centrist Democratic party senator, Felice Casson, who has emphasised the need for prudence. | The race has pit a businessman who supports the cruise ships, Luigi Brugnaro, against a centrist Democratic party senator, Felice Casson, who has emphasised the need for prudence. |
| Casson supports at least one alternative route for megaships that would involve the construction of a new offshore platform deemed unsafe and a “logistical nightmare” by the leading cruise industry association CLIA, whose members include Carnival, Costa, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean. The platform would be located far outside the Venice lagoon and require the cruise liners to ferry passengers and their luggage to and from Venice. It would take more than two years to build. | Casson supports at least one alternative route for megaships that would involve the construction of a new offshore platform deemed unsafe and a “logistical nightmare” by the leading cruise industry association CLIA, whose members include Carnival, Costa, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean. The platform would be located far outside the Venice lagoon and require the cruise liners to ferry passengers and their luggage to and from Venice. It would take more than two years to build. |
| Another option discussed by both mayoral candidates would involve the construction of a new terminal at the port of Marghera, an industrial area that has long been in decline. A third option, supported by the port authority in Venice but opposed by environmentalists, would require the creation of a new channel, Contorta Sant’Angelo, so that ships could enter Venice without passing Piazza San Marco. | Another option discussed by both mayoral candidates would involve the construction of a new terminal at the port of Marghera, an industrial area that has long been in decline. A third option, supported by the port authority in Venice but opposed by environmentalists, would require the creation of a new channel, Contorta Sant’Angelo, so that ships could enter Venice without passing Piazza San Marco. |
| One thing is clear: whatever the outcome, billions of euros are at stake. The cruise industry has not explicitly said which option it prefers, except that it is dead set against the creation of the offshore platforms. | One thing is clear: whatever the outcome, billions of euros are at stake. The cruise industry has not explicitly said which option it prefers, except that it is dead set against the creation of the offshore platforms. |
| Francesco Galietti, CLIA’s top official in Italy, said there were two possible future scenarios for Venice: either it benefits from the creation of a new Silk Road, with millions of Chinese and other tourists visiting the city in coming years as massive cruise ships cater to increasing demand in Asia; or the city becomes an afterthought of sorts, with ever-expanding cruise ships essentially ignoring Venice – and perhaps the whole of the Adriatic – if logistics become too cumbersome. | Francesco Galietti, CLIA’s top official in Italy, said there were two possible future scenarios for Venice: either it benefits from the creation of a new Silk Road, with millions of Chinese and other tourists visiting the city in coming years as massive cruise ships cater to increasing demand in Asia; or the city becomes an afterthought of sorts, with ever-expanding cruise ships essentially ignoring Venice – and perhaps the whole of the Adriatic – if logistics become too cumbersome. |
| “If Venice loses the status of home port, you have a huge problem and this is one of the big issues at stake,” said Galietti. The designation of home port means that is where cruises initiate their voyage, as opposed to being a port of call, where cruise ships simply stop for a short period. | “If Venice loses the status of home port, you have a huge problem and this is one of the big issues at stake,” said Galietti. The designation of home port means that is where cruises initiate their voyage, as opposed to being a port of call, where cruise ships simply stop for a short period. |
| “If there is no [feasible] alternative route provided to the cruise industry … This is a danger for the whole Adriatic region. When you talk to the cruise planners they will tell you very bluntly: what is even the point of going into the Adriatic without Venice as a home port?” | “If there is no [feasible] alternative route provided to the cruise industry … This is a danger for the whole Adriatic region. When you talk to the cruise planners they will tell you very bluntly: what is even the point of going into the Adriatic without Venice as a home port?” |
| The cruise industry plays down the role environmentalists have played in blocking big ships from entering Venice. Galietti said environmentalists and the so-called radical chics – “counts and bluebloods and VIPs like George Clooney who own property” – had an emotional attachment to Venice that sometimes missed the point. | The cruise industry plays down the role environmentalists have played in blocking big ships from entering Venice. Galietti said environmentalists and the so-called radical chics – “counts and bluebloods and VIPs like George Clooney who own property” – had an emotional attachment to Venice that sometimes missed the point. |
| The industry says it has voluntarily agreed to avoid the route megaships have used before, even though they still deem it to be safe. | The industry says it has voluntarily agreed to avoid the route megaships have used before, even though they still deem it to be safe. |
| Casson’s mayoral opponent Brugnaro, who says he is neither “left or right” in his political leanings and does not formally represent any party, sees the debate as part of a large issue in what he deems to be a “culture of no” that can dominate important decisions in Italy. | Casson’s mayoral opponent Brugnaro, who says he is neither “left or right” in his political leanings and does not formally represent any party, sees the debate as part of a large issue in what he deems to be a “culture of no” that can dominate important decisions in Italy. |
| “The culture of no has stopped the economy in [the region of] Veneto. No to this and no to that and no to TAV [a high-speed rail line] – with the ‘no, no, no’ we have stopped our economy,” he said. “I became a candidate to find solutions, to create a situation where the environment, the protection of Venice, but also the jobs of Venetians, can co-exist. Otherwise you will kill the city.” | “The culture of no has stopped the economy in [the region of] Veneto. No to this and no to that and no to TAV [a high-speed rail line] – with the ‘no, no, no’ we have stopped our economy,” he said. “I became a candidate to find solutions, to create a situation where the environment, the protection of Venice, but also the jobs of Venetians, can co-exist. Otherwise you will kill the city.” |
| He said the development of the port of Marghera, which CLIA’s Galietti said was “toxic” – had been hampered for years by strict environmental rules. “We have to be more pragmatic, more operational, and there has to be less chatter in Italy,” Brugnaro said. | He said the development of the port of Marghera, which CLIA’s Galietti said was “toxic” – had been hampered for years by strict environmental rules. “We have to be more pragmatic, more operational, and there has to be less chatter in Italy,” Brugnaro said. |
| While Brugnaro says his rival for the job of mayor has not firmly backed any solution to the stalemate, Casson in turn says Brugnaro’s proposal – which would involve the dredging of the Vittorio Emanuele canal – is not formally among the options being examined by the body that is currently assessing the environmental feasibility of two options – Marghera and the offshore platforms. | While Brugnaro says his rival for the job of mayor has not firmly backed any solution to the stalemate, Casson in turn says Brugnaro’s proposal – which would involve the dredging of the Vittorio Emanuele canal – is not formally among the options being examined by the body that is currently assessing the environmental feasibility of two options – Marghera and the offshore platforms. |
| “I think that cruise activity is very important for Venice and needs to be protected – that way we protect jobs, too,” Casson said. “But we also need to preserve the lagoon, which is a very fragile and delicate environment. So to dig a big new canal in the lagoon would mean destroying the lagoon and the foundations of Venice. | “I think that cruise activity is very important for Venice and needs to be protected – that way we protect jobs, too,” Casson said. “But we also need to preserve the lagoon, which is a very fragile and delicate environment. So to dig a big new canal in the lagoon would mean destroying the lagoon and the foundations of Venice. |
| “When [Brugnaro] talks about digging the Vittorio Emanuele canal, he means dumping the most dangerous muds into the lagoon because this is part of the industrial zone of Marghera, developed in the 1950s and 1960s when the worst poisons were around,” Casson added. | “When [Brugnaro] talks about digging the Vittorio Emanuele canal, he means dumping the most dangerous muds into the lagoon because this is part of the industrial zone of Marghera, developed in the 1950s and 1960s when the worst poisons were around,” Casson added. |
| The decision on the way forward is likely to rest with the next mayor of Venice. Experts say new projects will still require a green light from the government in Rome, but that officials there are waiting for the local authorities to take a decision. | The decision on the way forward is likely to rest with the next mayor of Venice. Experts say new projects will still require a green light from the government in Rome, but that officials there are waiting for the local authorities to take a decision. |