Hearing of Confitarma in the Senate on the issue of cruises in Venice



Concerns over the brief notice given by the government, with a measure of fifteen days ago, with respect to the ban on large ships arriving in Venice in the Bacino di San Marco, in the Canal of San Marco and in the Judean Canal is Beniamino Maltese, vice president of the Italian Confederation (Confitarma) and executive vice president of Costa Crociere, during an informal hearing at the Commissions of Public Works and Labor, the government said in a statement. Senate, on the draft law n.2329, of conversion, of the decree-law 103/2021, on measures for the preservation of Venice and for the protection of work.

Maltese recalled that Confitarma, together with its associated Costa Crociere, the only company with Italian flag vessels, included how the government's choice was part of the country's sustainability commitment in line with Agenda 2030 and has Also as, in the rest, Confitarma and other associations have long demonstrated the readiness to leave the benches of the Maritime Station of Venice waiting for alternative shelves, working to safeguard the economy and work port of Venice. "The cruise line companies and Confitweapon are joining the responsible effort of the country," he said. "However, we were surprised at the decision to set the date of the stop with a notice of only 15 days," Maltese said. This will cause an inevitable slowdown in the recovery of the cruise industry, already badly affected by the pandemic and with it also of the economic recovery in Venice and the country that tourism accounts for about 13% of GDP and to which the cruises contribute in a significant way. "

At the hearing Maltese also recalled the proposals that Confitarma made to make the scope of the decree more effective, starting with the maintenance of the grantee Venice Terminal Passengers (VTP) in its role as a guarantee and occupancy preservation capacity of all the activities that revolve around the operations of a ship (tugs, pilots, freight forwarders, trunk, bunkerers, logistics operators). In the second place, the extraordinary commissioner will have to be granted proxies and powers that replicate the "Genoa model" that has allowed the Ponte Morandi to be rebuilt in record times, strengthening the role of the port of Genoa and giving luster to the country.

In this regard, Maltese said that Confitarma hopes that a permanent working table will be opened with the extraordinary commissioner, who "we hope will be endowed with those extraordinary powers that give certainty to the industry," he said. today it is called to move elsewhere and it will have to commit later to return " and makes it possible by 2023 to relaunch the port of Venice not only connected to the cruise traffic but also to the commercial one, thanks also to the improvement of the maritime channel "Petroli".

As far as the alternative approaches are concerned, in addition to those planned in Marghera Nord, Maltese specified that Confitarma suggests the possibility of creating greater synergies with the port of Trieste (Portovecchio), after agreement with the grantee, with a mode similar to the one that will be adopted in Marghera.

Finally, even on the issue of compensation, Confitarma hopes for a table that can discuss the issue by making certain changes to what is intended, with criteria that take into account the investments needed by companies to manage their customers.