Move by Norwegian Cruise authorised by city’s port authority despite plans to curb daytrippers
A cruise company has circumvented a ban on its ships entering theNorwegian Gem, a vessel of just under 300m long and owned by Norwegian Cruise, anchored outside the Venice Lido early on Saturday morning. It then launched several motor boats which between them dropped about 1,500 passengers off in St Mark’s Square before picking them up again in the evening.
Norwegian Gem was only transiting through Venice when it dropped passengers off for the day on boats provided by the city’s port authority. At the same time, the Italian government issued a call for bids for the construction of a terminal outside the Venice lagoon equipped to accommodate ships weighing more than 40,000 tonnes.unit for the Cruise Lines International Association , said the ban had left the industry “in limbo”.