MSC Divina In Venice

The arrival of the 140,000 tonne MSC Divinia, the largest cruise ship to visit Venice, sparked protests on Saturday.

Campaigners are complaining that the large cruise ships block views and pollute the air.

Sophia Loren, Italian film star and godmother of the MSC Divinia, became embroiled in the dispute as the “No Big Ships Venice Committee” called on her to dis-associate her name with the ship. The group claim that the big ships not only pollute the air, but that their vibrations and wake cause damage to the foundations of the historic buildings.

cruiseastute.com says …

“Whilst we have some sympathy with the protesters – clearly people visit Venice for the architecture and not to look at modern cruise ships – these ships also bring valuable tourism to the local economy. With ships such as the MSC Divina carrying more than 4,000 passengers the cruise industry is worth many millions of euros and countless jobs for local people who should be careful what they wish for. Would they rather look at a couple of cruise ships (which only pass the main tourist areas as they dock on the outskirts of the city), or be unemployed?”

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