Port of Venice lives in the uncertainty of his future cruise

The Port Authority of Venice complaint the uncertainty in which it is forced to plan their cruise activities and to respond to the demands of the shipping companies of the sector. The uncertainty that has persisted for a long time, as evidenced by the history exposed by the body.

“It’s been more than three years – recalls the Port Authority – since the government promised by Decree Clini – Passera (2 March 2012) to remove the cruise traffic over 40 thousand gross tons along the basin of San Marco and the Giudecca canal cruisers calling in Trieste imposing even to large ships to reach the Stazione Marittima for an alternative route. For three years the competent authorities (Venice Port Authority, the Port of Venice and, then, the Water Authority of Venice) had the solution – entry into the lagoon from the mouth of Malamocco and Stazione Marittima achieved through the connection Twisted Sant ‘ Angel departs from the channel Malamocco-Marghera – able to respond to the urgency, increasingly taken up at international level, to remove the big ships from San Marco without endangering the excellence of the port cruise Venetian, and it of port as a whole, that is, the historical component of the economic base of Venice and one of the few alternatives to the tourist monoculture. ”

“For three years – said the agency – which the Port Authority and its terminal are working to continue to accept the 37 shipping lines calling at Venice transitional measures for containing quantitative and qualitative for 2014 to 2015 of the cruise traffic Venice, pending the implementation of the solution that will enable the international cruise to return to a normal function of Venice as its main port terminal in the eastern Mediterranean. ”

In addition, “there are more than 10 months that was the deadline (June 6, 2014) expected from the agenda voted by the Senate (February 6, 2014), which required it to” start benchmarking the solutions presented within 30 days and conclude them within three months, taking into account the need to ensure employment levels; Once a device has been chosen in the manner, the guarantees and the time (…), to carry out in the shortest possible time jobs resulting from using the legislation in force. ‘”

“It’s been eight months since August 8, 2014, when – still remembers the port authority – the committee in charge of coordination and control for the safeguarding of Venice, the Big Committee, it resolved to submit to an environmental impact assessment of the project “Adjustment by water access to the Venice Maritime Station and redevelopment of areas around the Channel Twisted-Sant’Angelo”; fulfillment of which the Venice Port Authority has proceeded on September 16, 2014. Since that date have been four months, well beyond the terms of the law, before the same Commission of VIA require additions to the environmental impact study to take account observations collected on the project. In the 40 days following the Port Authority has taken steps to respond to all requests for integration by delivering the whole 10 March 2014. Today, after the 30 days within which the Commission should have street (under the terms regulated directions of law) express its view of environmental compatibility with the details of any prescription. ”

“From September 2014 to date – even specific body – the Port Authority, with all other authorities responsible according to the law and after consultation with the stakeholders as part of the formal conference service, examined (in respect of the order the agenda of the Senate of 6 February 2014 and in execution of the address of the Interministerial Committee for the Protection of Venice 8 August 2014), the two draft relocation of the marine station at Bocca di Lido, project Duferco-De Piccoli, and Marghera, project D’Agostino. The two service conferences ended with a judgment of impracticability functional of the two solutions – in their current state of development – which prevents the Port Authority to declare public interest both projects. As mentioned this to the Special Commission of VIA and as provided by the Act to address the inter-ministerial committee on 8 August 2014 – says the Venetian authority – the Port Authority of Venice reserves, as part of the initiated review of the Port Master Plan which will obviously conducted in agreement with the municipalities concerned for the period (the City of Venice, City of Cavallino-Treporti and the City of Mira) to evaluate any relocation of the Maritime Station is at the inlets, or Lido Malamocco, both in Marghera , in areas already included in the port today and put to other uses or in the outdoor area to the current port area along the channel Malamocco-Marghera. Relocations are nonetheless different from those provided for in the project proposals Duferco-De Piccoli and d’Agostino. In additions to the environmental impact study submitted to the Commission VIA special on 10 March there was an early example of the civic dimension, and not just the port, redesigning urban parts of the city which would achieve the relocation of the ferry terminal to one of the inlets . For relocation in Marghera it specified that this will not happen but as part of a redesign the port after the deployment of the offshore-onshore, with the construction of the offshore platform port (complementary work of the MoSE) will return the port of Venice full accessibility nautical today temporarily sacrificed on the altar of the safeguarding of Venice. ”

“In this framework – said the Port Authority of Venice – the ability to respond to the urgency with which the international community calls for large passenger ships are moved away from San Marco and the urgency with which the shipping companies cruise ask to return to a normal sustainable use of Venice as a cruise port terminal is fully and uniquely linked to the possibility of rapid completion of the Channel Twisted Sant’Angelo: project with the collaboration of all technical and scientific competence that has hitherto been applied to the study of Venice lagoon and the conditions, that we hope wise, the Commission VIA special it wanted to, and you can, turn a large restoration project morphological, environmental and nature of the central lagoon, thus reversing the trend towards degradation. ”

The Port Authority announced that “has continued, and continues even in these days, in turn increasing the project Twisting Sant’Angelo in an environmental restoration project that also meets functional cruise industry” and that “it is in these terms that is working on a tender for an international competition open to all companies in the world who want to contribute with their experience and planning to the realization of this difficult project. ” The Port Authority has declared “ready to launch an initial request for expressions of interest to accelerate as much as possible the realization of the solution of the problem.”

The Port Authority concludes hoping that “even the Special Commission of VIA (who has in his hands the project in its original form since 16 September and additions to the environmental impact study for over a month) put us in a position as soon as possible meet the needs – both legitimate – concern expressed by the international community continues to express to the integrity of the historical and artistic heritage of Venice and from the cruise industry and area in order to conduct its business in full serenity demonstrating at the same time , duing to environmental sustainability and landscape. ”

Today, meanwhile, was signed the voluntary agreement Venice Blue Flag 2015, a commitment entered into by the City of Venice, Port Authority, Port Authority of Venice and all the cruise lines calling at the port lagoon. “The agreement, one of a kind – said the port authority – makes Venice harbor more” green “in the Mediterranean allowing, since 2007, to bring down significantly the emitted air polluted. As has been verified by ARPAV in its latest figures – highlights the agency – the Blue Flag has allowed to reduce emissions particulate matter (PM) by 60% and 96% of the SO2 in operation when, instead, consider together both stages of the station that maneuvering the killing results to be of 46% for PM and 91% of the SO2 ‘.

The Blue Flag requires every ship arriving in Venice uses – from before entering the Laguna and until the period of stationing in the dock – fuels with low sulfur content (0.1%). It is a much more restrictive limit than the Italian legislation establishes that currently provides for ships to use fuel with a sulfur content less than 3.5%, this limit will be lowered to 0.5% only from from 2020.

The 2015 edition of the Blue Flag provides a novelty: the companies will be able to introduce the use of “scrubbers” uptakes of their ships, that special filters that trap pollutants and reduce emissions.

Checks and controls will be carried out and guaranteed by the Port of Venice and through its staff will certify compliance with anti-pollution analysis to sample the fuel, the cost of which will be borne by the Port Authority of Venice.