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GENOA

Morandi Bridge must be rebuilt within 15 months, says Liguria governor

Italy's government must rebuild Genoa's collapsed Morandi Bridge within the next 12 to 15 months “maximum”, Giovanni Toti, governor of the Liguria region of which Genoa is the capital, told listeners to the radio station RTL 102.5 Monday.

Published: 24 September 2018 17:54 CEST
Morandi Bridge must be rebuilt within 15 months, says Liguria governor
Giovanni Toti (third from right) at a commemoration ceremony one month after the Morandi Bridge collapse in Genoa. Photo: Marco Bertorello/AFP

“We will not tolerate any delays in the reconstruction,” Toti said in an interview in which he heavily criticised the populist government’s continued failure to appoint a commissioner to oversee the bridge’s reconstruction.

“We started working with (Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe) Conte on a series of reconstruction measures with interested parties who had the authority to carry them out – then the government took another course,” the governor complained.

“We’re waiting on a decree that has started very badly and has left us out,” he added.

His comments coincided with President Sergio Mattarella’s visit to the Genoa Boat Show.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte blamed the hold-up on a delayed report from the Ministry of Finance, and said the decree would be presented in parliament tomorrow morning.

The Morandi motorway bridge, which was built in the 1960s, collapsed during a thunderstorm on August 14, killing 43 people and leaving more than 600 homeless.

An investigation is currently underway to determine the cause of the collapse.

READ ALSO: Italian government threatens to revoke motorway contract after Genoa bridge collapse

The bridge was managed by the company Autostrade per L’Italia, a subsidiary of the Milan Stock Exchange-listed company Atlantia.

Up to now Autostrade has insisted that it met all its obligations in maintaining the structure, and initially said it would re-build the bridge within eight months.

Italy’s Transport and Infrastructure Minister Danilo Toninelli recently ruled out that possibility, however, saying that he intended to award the contract to a state-owned company, although Autostrade will be required to fund the reconstruction.

Toti told reporters that the government needs focus harder on the needs of Genoese residents.

“If I get into a car accident and my car is destroyed, those responsible need to be identified, but first I need to have my car repaired,” he told interviewers.

“Genoa cannot wait,” he concluded.

READ ALSO: 

TOURISM

First cruise ship sets sail from Italy since coronavirus shutdown

The first major cruise ship to resume tours of the Mediterranean since the coronavirus pandemic hit Europe set sail from the Italian city of Genoa on Sunday, as the industry tries to regain ground after a bruising hiatus.

Published: 16 August 2020 15:34 CEST
Updated: 16 August 2020 17:57 CEST
First cruise ship sets sail from Italy since coronavirus shutdown
A photographer watches the MSC Grandiosa depart on Sunday August 16th, 2020, after more than six months of inactivity. Photo: AFP

The departure of the MSC Grandiosa from the northwestern port city at 1930 local time represents a high-stakes test for the global sector in the key Mediterranean market and beyond.

The international cruise industry has been battered not only by the ongoing health crisis which in March forced the worldwide grounding of its ships, but accusations of a botched handling of the epidemic in its early stages.

Cruise lines are hoping that new, tighter protocols will allow them to control the still-lingering threat of coronavirus aboard its ships while still offering travellers a cruise experience that does not disappoint.

Arriving passengers preparing to check in before taking a required coronavirus blood test inside the terminal told AFP they were not concerned about the virus. Some said they believed cruises were now safer than other vacation options.

“I couldn't miss the first cruise after Covid,” cruise blogger Rosalba Scarrone, 64, told AFP.

READ ALSO: Venice anti-cruise ship activists cheer temporary victory as liners pull out

“I've taken 87 cruises, can you imagine how much I've suffered not setting off from February until now?”

The Grandiosa is part of the fleet of privately-owned MSC Cruises, founded in Naples but now based in Geneva. The ship will travel to the ports of Civitavecchia near Rome, Naples, Palermo and Valletta, Malta during the seven-day cruise.

Competitor Costa Cruises, owned by Carnival, has opted to delay the restart of its Mediterranean cruises until September, with departures from Trieste and Genoa for Italian-only clients. The company said the measure was designed to “guarantee the maximum security for guests, crew and local communities.”

Fewer passengers

Much is riding on the decision to restart cruises. Italy represents the bulk of Europe's cruise industry, reaping 14.5 billion euros of revenue per year and supporting nearly 53,000 jobs, according to the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).

The group estimated a potential economic loss from suspended cruises throughout Europe could amount to about 25.5 billion euros.

“The voyage … represents a tangible sign of comeback for one of the fundamental economic industries of our city,” said Genoa Mayor Marco Bucci.

Over 2 million cruise passengers departed from the city last year.

Last week, Italy's government, which is striving to revive the country's moribund economy after a more than two-month lockdown, gave cruise operators the green light to begin operating again as of August 15. 

MSC authorities said approximately 2,500 passengers would be on its debut cruise, limited to about 70 percent of normal capacity.

All eyes in the industry will be on the Grandiosa after a smaller cruise operator, Norway's Hurtigruten, was forced earlier this month to suspend its newly restarted service after dozens of passengers and crew tested positive for COVID-19.

Global health authorities criticised the industry's slow response to the spread of the virus at the onset of the crisis earlier this year before ships were grounded in March, from lax monitoring of crew, to continued operation of self-service buffets and gyms, to lack of personal protective equipment.

Buffet is served

As of June 11, 3,047 people were infected and 73 people died aboard 48 cruise ships affiliated with trade group Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), according to Johns Hopkins University data, provided by CLIA.

Health authorities say close living and working spaces for crew, along with partially enclosed environments contributed to greater risk of infection on cruises than other venues.

MSC has suspended the rest of its Mediterranean cruises until October save for an August 29 cruise departing from the southern Italian port of Bari.

The company said its new security protocol exceeds national and industry standards, including daily temperatures taken and escorted trips in controlled groups for excursions.

Food from the buffet, a highlight of the cruise experience, will be served at passengers' tables.

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