Cruise ships anchored off the Italian coast are annoying locals

A man walks past a Costa Crociere cruise liner docked in the harbor of Civitavecchia, Italy, in July 2020.

Max Rossi/Getty Images

• Cruise ships, out of commission during the pandemic, have been docked off the Italian Riviera.
• People who live near the coast are not happy about that, Fortune reported on Monday.
• One Italian lobbyist estimated some 100 large cruise ships are parked in or near Italian ports.
• See more stories on Insider's business page.

Dozens of cruise ships, out of commission during the pandemic that brought tourism and demand for trips on the massive liners to a halt, have been docked off Italy's coasts for a year and a half.

Locals are unhappy about unsightly liners marring the seaside views, making constant sound, and the potential for their negative environmental impact on the surrounding towns, according to a Fortune report published Monday.

Italian environmental group Legambiente Liguria told Fortune that about 100 large cruise ships are parked offshore.

That includes ships operated by companies MSC Cruise ships and Costa, Fortune reported, some of which are docked near Rome's main port of Civitavecchia. Others are docked off Venice, Palermo, and Syracuse, according to Fortune.

And three giant Costa cruise ships are anchored near La Spezia, "motors running, lights on, and with small crews aboard," Fortune reporter Eric J. Lyman wrote.

"They're an eyesore," La Spezia-based art curator Tania Calenda told Fortune, adding that "everyone's tired of having them there."

Costa Crociere and MSC cruise liners docked in the harbor of Civitavecchia, Italy, in July 2020.

Max Rossi/Getty Images

A vice president of Legambiente Liguria told Fortune the organization is considering forming a petition to ask the Italian government to prevent cruise ship operators from parking their ships near Italy's most scenic locations.

Representatives for MSC and Costa did not return Insider's requests for comment on Monday.

The struggle reflects the difficult reality of an industry battered by the pandemic. But some cruiseline operators say that demand is returning.

Arnold Donald, chief executive of international cruiseline company Carnival, told Fox Business in June that the company has "far more demand than we have ships available to supply right now."

Still, Carnival's shares have not recovered to their pre-pandemic levels, suggesting investors are not yet on board with that optimism. The stock is down 55% since January 2020.

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