Venice, tragedy is risked near St. Mark's for large ship swerving due to bad weather

This time only the promptness of the harbor master, pilot, and tug crews prevented the worst, but perhaps never before in Venice was tragedy threatened as it was yesterday when a large ship skidded due to heavy weather in St. Mark’s Basin, very close to the square. The scene of the near-accident was the riva dei Sette Martiri, one of the large monumental banks that line St. Mark’s Basin from the square to the Giardini. This is a very busy area, because within walking distance are the Arsenale and the Giardini, the heart of the Venice Biennale, and the banks are regular walking destinations. Obviously not yesterday, because of the prohibitive weather conditions. But prohibitive to the point that a cruise ship, the Costa Deliziosa, risked ramming a yacht moored to the shore (the crew here jumped ashore to safety), as well as public transport boats stationed in the same area, and crashing onto the promenade under the violent storm of hail and wind that swept across the lagoon.

The ship had difficulty maintaining its course as it sailed through St. Mark’s Basin: however, the captain managed to maintain control of the large vessel and the tugs managed to right it before it could hit the shore. “The violent, extraordinary and sudden weather event that affected the entire Northeast,” the Costa Crociere company wrote in a note, “also affected the Costa Deliziosa with violent gusts that caused a detour during the passage through the Giudecca Channel, carried out as always under the instructions of the Port Commander, the pilot and the three tugs to which the ship was tied up who promptly assisted the ship in the maneuver. The Master always maintained control of the ship even in extreme and sudden difficult conditions. The ship resumed its course to its planned destination.”

Meanwhile, the Venice Port Authority takes stock of the situation, as President Piero Musolino explains, “We reserve the right to initiate a timely verification to ascertain whether the ship had received the necessary permits and complied with the necessary verifications. We also believe it is necessary to organize a further meeting with the Port Authority as soon as possible to evaluate and possibly urge the adoption of other measures to ensure that ship traffic takes place in complete safety for the city.” And at the same time the Venice Public Prosecutor’s Office, as a due act, will also open a file on the incident.

And at the political level it is now a hunt for the person responsible. The mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro, points the finger at Transport Minister Danilo Toninelli: “the greatest responsibility for what happened yesterday and what may happen in the future,” he said, “lies with those who did not decide in these months. the reference is to Infrastructure and Transport Minister Danilo Toninelli, who has functional powers over the entire port chain, from the Port Authority to the Coast Guard, from the Public Works Department to the Port System Authority.” The mayor then wished to congratulate all those who faced the difficulty and avoided the worst.

Toninelli, in turn, let it be known that he has already ordered a ministerial inspection to verify what happened. And he says that “we are close to a solution to remove large ships from San Marco. And we will do it while protecting safety, the environment, tourism and employment.” However, everyone is now tired of the announcements and wonders when we will finally see the San Marco basin free of large ships.

Venice, tragedy is risked near St. Mark's for large ship swerving due to bad weather

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