Story at a glance
- UNESCO will consider banning large seafaring vessels from docking in Venice’s lagoon.
- The report cites dangers to the historical buildings surrounding the city.
- The local government issued a ruling, but it has no significant recourse to reroute ships.
UNESCO, the arm within the United Nations (U.N.) responsible for keeping cultural and historical sites intact, reportedly said that it would review a proposal that would add Venice to its endangered list if the city doesn’t approve a ban on cruise ships docking.
UNESCO will discuss enforcing a potential ban during a session held from July 16 to 31, according to the Italian newsroom Ansa and CNN.
UNESCO reportedly warned that Venice, a city whose major tourist draw is its canal and lagoon scenery, could see damage if cruise docking isn’t banned.
The report to be read during this meeting will advocate to “inscribe Venice and its lagoon (Italy) on the list of World Heritage in Danger” to protect it from threats large ships sailing into the lagoon can bring.
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Earlier, the Italian government banned ships from docking in the historic center of the city.
All cruises and cargo ships were set to be rerouted to the industrial port at Marghera while the city worked on new construction to support ships docking in Venice.
Despite this ruling, cruise ships are still scheduled to dock in the Venetian lagoon until better infrastructure can be built to support larger sea vessels.
“The State Party should continue searching for a long-term solution with utmost urgency, prioritizing the option of banning large ships from the Lagoon altogether, and preferably redirecting them to more suitable ports in the region,” the UNESCO report reads.
The agency also commented to CNN that the proposal is “based on technical and scientific assessments carried out by the experts of the evaluation bodies. The proposal reflects that there is a proven danger threatening this site.”
Currently, there are 53 historical sites listed as endangered by UNESCO. This gives these locations specific protections to keep the natural environment and ecosystem of each site intact.
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