Cruise liners a source of air pollution

Maybe the Gozitans and Mepa could learn from Venice:

Summer is coming and big cruise liners are devastating the Venice lagoon creating a health hazard for residents.

The passage of these ships through the lagoon damages Venice's health, its environment and monumental heritage; these giants are totally out of proportion in regard to the city and its ecosystem.

Ships are also a source of air pollution caused by the use of fuels which have been outlawed by the European Union. Nitric and sulphuric anhydrides and soot are released in enormous quantity from the funnels that, unlike the exhaust pipes of land vehicles, are lacking in any system to filter the fumes.

Those particular fumes from the ships come from engines burning heavy oil: All this to maintain the "industry of passengers" (around 3,000 in some single cruisers), collected by smaller engined boats and moved on these polluting means of transport. Big cruise liners are going to compromise the life and cultural heritage of Venice and the profits from this traffic induce the local people to own more and more pleasure boats with more and more powerful engines...