First cruise ship sails through Venice since start of pandemic

The Cruise ship MSC Orchestra in Venice (JC Viens via AP)

Early risers in Venice were surprised to see a cruise ship heading down the Giudecca canal for the first time since the start of the pandemic, despite repeated government pledges to reroute such huge vessels due to safety and environmental concerns.

The 92,409-ton MSC Orchestra passed through the basin in front of St Mark’s Canal at around 6am on Thursday under tugboat and port authority escort, ahead of the first post-pandemic cruise ship departure from Venice, scheduled for Saturday.