Government sources said the government took the decision after the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) intends to declare Venice a world heritage site in danger at a meeting of the relevant body in July.
The ban will take effect on August 1 and will apply to ships over 25,000 tons that cannot enter the Giudecca Channel into Piazza San Marco.
Venice residents and the international community have been urging Italian governments for years to ban large ships from the lake, which pollute and threaten its fragile ecosystem and the stability of the city’s buildings.
These concerns were contrary to the interests of port authorities and tourism establishments that the city needed the traffic reported by ocean liners.
The 25,000-ton limit means that only small passenger ferries and shipping companies can use the Giudecca.
Francesco Galletti, the Italian president of the Confederation of International Shipping Companies (CLIA), said the group welcomed the alternative route intended for large vessels and called the government’s decision a “huge step forward”.
In April, the government of Prime Minister Mario Draghi decided to build a terminal outside the lake for passenger ships and container ships over 40,000 tons. However, this is not yet complete.
Meanwhile, large ships were required to dock at the industrial port of Marghera, but there was no suitable port space for sailors. The government’s decision appointed a government commissioner to expedite the construction of the port.
Cover Photo: Getty Images
