£100m Artificial Island in Venice

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£100m Artificial Island in Venice

New Offshore Cruise Ship Terminal in the Adriatic Could Resolve the Debate Over the Gigantic Liners that Plough Through Venice's Lagoon

Venice is studying a new proposal for reducing the impact of the colossal cruise ships that enter its lagoon on a daily basis - the construction of an artificial terminal island in the Adriatic.

Cruise ship passengers would disembark on the man-made, 3,000ft-long jetty and board a fleet of catamarans which would ferry them into Venice.

Each catamaran would be able to take around 800 passengers, with the transfer to Venice's historic centre taking less than an hour.

The proposed solution would allow passengers to still experience the thrill of entering the lagoon by boat, but would satisfy the complaints of the many Venetians who say that the giant cruise ships are an eyesore, dwarfing the city's bell towers and palazzi as they lumber through the lagoon.

Critics also say the cruise ships pollute Venice and exacerbate the erosion of its fragile foundations as they pass within a few hundred yards of St Mark's Square and along the narrow Giudecca Canal to the existing cruise ship terminal.

But the cruise industry earns Venice millions of pounds a year and supporters say it is vital for the city's economy.

The industry is in favour of dredging a new channel in the lagoon, known as the Contorta-Sant'Angelo, which would enable ships to access the existing cruise ship terminal without sailing so close to Venice.

But the artificial jetty, which would cost around 128 million euros (£100 million), would dispense with the need for the channel, which environmentalists object to on the grounds that it would upset the ecosystem of the lagoon.

Up to five big cruise ships could dock at the proposed new terminal, which would be built on an artificial island at the mouth of the northernmost of three inlets which connect the lagoon to the Adriatic.

Source: Telegraph

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