Unesco urges maritime restrictions in Venice

United Nations cultural body Unesco urged the Italian government to restrict the access of cruise ships to World Heritage Site Venice in the wake of the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster.

Unesco has called on the Italian government to restrict access of large cruise ships to culturally and ecologically important areas, particularly Venice and its Lagoon which are visited by some 300 large cruise ships a year. It said cruise liner traffic in Venice “is particularly damaging because of the fragile structure of the city.

“The ships cause water tides that erode the foundations of buildings. They contribute to pollution and impact the cityscape as they dwarf monuments in the heart of the city,” Unesco said.

In a letter sent to the Italian Environment Minister on behalf of director-general Irina Bokova, the assistant director-general for culture Francesco Bandarin writes that “the tragic accident (of the Costa Concordia on January 13) reinforces longstanding concern over the risk that large cruise liners pose to sites inscribed on Unesco’s World Heritage List, particularly the Venice Lagoon and the Basin of San Marco.”

The Costa Concordia had 4,229 people on board from more than 60 countries when it hit rocks and keeled over earlier this month, prompting a chaotic evacuation that in­cluded a fight for life jackets and life boats among panicked passengers.

After presenting Unesco’s condolences for the tragic loss of life caused by Costa Concordia accident and praising the efforts of the rescue teams and local population in dealing with the disaster, the letter urges the government to act quickly to develop alternative plans for maritime traffic around the World Heritage site of Venice.