Terrified tourists on land could be seen running away as the 13-deck MSC Opera scraped along the dockside on the Giudecca Canal at around 8:30 am (local time) on Sunday.
Four people – including an Australian woman – suffered minor injuries in the accident, according to authorities.
The four, who were taken to hospital for check-ups, were on board the River Countess tourist boat.
The accident reignited a heated row in Venice, and Italy at large, over the damage caused to the city and its fragile ecosystem by massive cruise ships that sail extremely close to the shore.
Last year, 594 cruise ships passed through Venice’s canals, and critics claim the currents created as the ships pass by are damaging the city’s Renaissance buildings.
Italian Transport Minister, Danilo Toninelli, immediately called for cruise ships to be banned from using the Giudecca Canal in the wake of the incident.
“Today’s accident in the port of Venice proves that cruise ships shouldn’t be allowed to pass down the Giudecca anymore,” he said.
“After many years of inertia, we are finally close to a solution to protect both the lagoon and tourism.”
