Venice cruise liner near-miss caught on camera
A YouTube video has emerged showing a cruise ship coming dangerously close to crashing into the dock at Venice during a severe storm.
In the YouTube video, the 3,000-passenger Costa Deliziosa can be heard sounding its emergency horn as it is guided to the dock by tug boats along the Giudecca Canal during the storm, narrowly missing a luxury yacht.
The near-miss has fuelled the debate over allowing mega liners into the canal and follows last month’s incident when MSC Opera crashed into a Uniworld river boat, injuring four people.
One witness, Alberto Peratoner, told the Ansa news agency: "We saw her coming almost on top of us. It was the moment when the storm was at its most intense.
"The ship was having visible difficulty manoeuvring and was heading for the Riva San Biagio dock, veering slightly towards the Riva dei Sette Martiri."
The agency said a collision was only averted when one of the tugs pulled heavily to the right, away from the shore, and managed to drag the liner with it.
Venezia Autentica, a group that encourages tourists to discover and support the authentic Venice, posted the video on its Facebook page saying: "Tonight in #Venice, we’ve been all very, very, very lucky.
"A cruise ship was allowed to take off from the Venice Port despite a huge storm approaching the city.
"Just after Saint Mark’s square, the intensity of the wind pushed the cruise ship dangerously close to the Riva dei Sette Martiri. Luckily, a collision was avoided this time.
"Are we waiting for a tragedy to happen before something changes? What the hell!"
Costa described the incident as a ‘detour’ caused by ‘violent, extraordinary and sudden’ bad weather.
"The captain always maintained control of the ship even in conditions of extreme and sudden difficulty," the cruise line said.
The city’s public prosecutor’s office told Ansa it is looking into the incident.
Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent
Strike action set to cause travel chaos at Brussels airports
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025