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Venice is studying a new proposal for reducing the impact of the colossal cruise ships that enter its lagoon on a daily basis – the construction of an artificial terminal island in the Adriatic.

Cruise ship passengers would disembark on the man-made, 940-metre jetty and board a fleet of catamarans to ferry them into Venice. Each catamaran would be able to take about 800 passengers, with the transfer to Venice’s historic centre taking less than an hour.

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The proposed solution would allow passengers to experience the thrill of entering the lagoon by boat, but would satisfy the complaints of Venetians who say that the cruise ships are an eyesore, dwarfing the city’s bell towers and palazzi as they lumber into dock.

Critics also say the cruise ships pollute Venice and exacerbate the erosion of its fragile foundations as they pass within a few hundred yards of St Mark’s Square and along the narrow Giudecca Canal to the existing cruise ship terminal.