Cruise ship rams tourist boat in Venice
A cruise ship rammed into a smaller vessel carrying more than 100 passengers on Sunday in Venice, injuring at least four people. The cruise ship MSC Opera apparently encountered a mechanical problem which caused the accident. For the press the incident once again shows how dangerous these huge ships are for the city of lagoons.
No one chasing away the sea monsters
People have been calling for cruise ships to be banned from Venice for years but nothing has been done, La Repubblica admonishes:
“The decree hasn't been implemented for years. ... A year ago Five Star [and Lega] came to power and now there's total chaos. Transport Minister Danilo Toninelli (M5S) promised to act on the applications of several citizens' initiatives for a total ban while Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini pointed out that sacrificing thousands of jobs would be bad for the city's security. That was on 30 August 2018. Since then - as so often is the case in Italy - nothing has happened. With the result that seven years and five governments have come and gone yet the decree that is supposed to put an end to the rape of Venice by 20-floor-high sea monsters is still gathering dust in a drawer.”
La Serenissima is sinking
Tourism will increase despite the people's protests and the politicians' promises, complains Sheila Sitalsing, a columnist with De Volkskrant:
“After the collision politicians are naturally once again making pompous promises: This is really the end of ships in the Giudecca canal, the minister for infrastructure and transportation said - for the umpteenth time, but this time it's definite. This is how the headlines could look in the future: 2019: Crazed Venetians toss tourists into canal. 2020: Last resident leaves the city of lagoons. 2021: Venice fenced in and ticket office and gates set up. (scratch that, they're already in place). 2022: Venice? What was that again?”