"The sea must be free"

Citizens protest against cruise port near Rome

Cruise ship "Rhapsody of the Seas"

(Bild: APA/AFP/Aris Messinis)

A large port for cruise ships is to be built in the municipality of Fiumicino to the west of Rome. A company belonging to the US shipping company Royal Caribbean has been awarded the concession for the construction. However, citizens and environmental protection associations are opposing the project.

Around 300 people gathered on the forecourt of the old Fiumicino lighthouse on Sunday with parasols, deckchairs, diving fins and beach towels. They were mainly demonstrating against a fence on a stretch of beach where the port is to be built.

The company "Fiumicino Waterfront Srl" in turn said that the new fence was a protective measure around the area and was not related to the work on the port project. The approval process is still ongoing.

Here you can see a photo of the protest.

"The beach and the sea must be free until the environmental impact assessment for the harbor is pronounced, then we will see. We don't want a private port to make our stretches of beach uninhabitable," argued the environmental groups against the project. The seabed in the municipality is not suitable for cruise ships, and environmental damage would be the result.

Area to be converted
The port area was abandoned in 2011. According to the plans, cruise ships and mega yachts will be able to dock there in future. There are plans for 700 berths, 30 of which will be for yachts up to 110 meters in length. Hotels and restaurants are also to be built nearby.

Cruise tourists currently disembark in the port of Civitavecchia, 70 kilometers north of Rome. Civitavecchia is the largest cruise port in Italy and is to be relieved in future. The expansion of the port of Fiumicino, which is closer to Rome, has therefore been considered.