Proposed Port Threatens Flood-Prone Venice

"At a press conference in London yesterday, Venice in Peril, a British committee dedicated to preserving the city, attacked the Port Authority of Venice's proposals for the regeneration of the industrial zone around Porto Marghera.

It said the €1.5bn scheme to redredge the lagoon, build a port to exploit routes between Venice, central Europe and the Balkans, and bring bigger and heavier ships close to the city could destroy the Unesco world heritage site."

Critics argue that dredging and the presence of large ships in the area would pose a significant environmental threat to the city.