The mayor of Venice asked UNESCO to include the city on its world heritage site blacklist after the transport minister of Italy failed to deliver a plan to avoid large passenger liners entering central canals.
The years-long controversy on large cruise ships being allowed to sail on busy canals and dock close to the city centre has been reignited after MSC Opera crashed into a tourist boat in Giudecca canal on June 2.
Mayor Brugnaro said the city didn’t feel represented anymore by Transport Minister Danilo Toninelli, who “has an arrogance I’ve never seen in my life and pretends of having understood in half a day what I haven’t understood in 57 years.”
Following the crash in June, Mr Toninelli had promised a new plan to avoid the huge ships entering the central canals by the end of the month. However, he has not yet presented the plan.
The accident reignited the debate over the damages caused by giant ship cruises to the historic infrastructure of Venice and their impact on the fragile environment.
A UNESCO blacklist would restrict entry into the port city and is reserved for sights under significant danger.