Venice: green light for dredging the Vittorio Emanuele III canal

VENICE – Final approval has been granted for the environmental impact assessment of the dredging of the Vittorio Emanuele III Canal, which is intended to bring medium-sized cruise ships back to Venice’s Stazione Marittima. The Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security, in agreement with the Ministry of Culture, issued a positive assessment of the project’s environmental compatibility via a decree dated November 3, 2026.

The measure concludes the EIA process, following the favorable opinion already issued by the Ministerial Technical Commission in September. This is one of the measures planned as part of the new framework for the Venetian cruise industry, overseen by the commission established following the restrictions introduced in 2021 on the passage of large ships through St. Mark’s Basin and the Giudecca Canal.

The project involves the Restoration of navigability on the Vittorio Emanuele III Canal, which connects the North Industrial Canal of Porto Marghera with the Stazione Marittima . The goal is to enable cruise ships to once again reach existing docks by using a route that bypasses the historic center. According to the 2026–2028 Three-Year Operational Plan of the Northern Adriatic Port System Authority, The project is divided into two functional phases, with a total estimated investment of 46 million euros.

The first phase, costing 32 million—already covered by funds from the special commissioner’s office—calls for the dredging of approximately 700,000 cubic meters of sediment, along with the construction of a a navigable channel 80 meters wide and 8 meters deep. This configuration will allow cruise ships with a gross tonnage of up to 50,000 GT and an approximate length of up to 230 meters to pass through.

The second phase will involve additional dredging of approximately 400,000 cubic meters, bringing the depth to 9 meters and the width of the navigable channel to 88 meters . The project, estimated at 14 million euros, will allow the port to accommodate vessels of up to approximately 60,000–70,000 GT, expanding the range of ships that can use the Stazione Marittima.

In total, approximately 1.1 million cubic meters of sediment will be removed. The project anticipates traffic of up to 240 ship passages per year through the Vittorio Emanuele III Canal, with an estimated transit time of approximately 30 minutes.

The updated schedule for the work has yet to be determined. The Port Authority’s three-year operational plan, approved in February 2026, called for the completion of the first phase in 2027, while subsequent updates indicate June 2028 as a possible completion date for the project. This latter deadline has not yet been confirmed by an updated official schedule.

The environmental approval comes with certain requirements, particularly regarding archaeology. As reported by Il Gazzettino, the Superintendency has requested preliminary surveys along the route and in adjacent areas, as well as inspections during dredging operations. Although the risk of disturbing archaeological finds is considered low, the presence of submerged artifacts cannot be ruled out. The environmental permit is valid for five years.

The restoration of the Vittorio Emanuele III is part of a broader program that also includes the dredging of the Malamocco-Marghera Canal and the construction of a new cruise terminal on the North Canal in Porto Marghera, designed to accommodate larger ships. For this latter project, the Port Authority’s three-year operational plan calls for two berths and an investment of approximately 110 million euros, with operations scheduled to begin during the 2028 cruise season.

The “No Grandi Navi” Committee continues to oppose the project , expressing concerns about its impact on the lagoon’s morphological balance and announcing a protest for November 7 in Venice.