Mooring in Venice is too expensive, even for superyachts.
Luise Yachting Adriatic raises the alarm and proposes to the Port System Authority to restructure tariffs based on different, more equitable and rational criteria. All ports are experiencing growth except Venice.
The season just gone by has seen a sharp decline in the number of megayachts moored in the lagoon. This was confirmed and the alarm raised on Il Gazzettino It is Giorgio Gilli, partner of Luise Yachting Adriatic, a maritime agency that holds over 50% of the yacht market in Venice.
The reason for the abandonment, Gilli explains, is the unmarketable tariffs. Applying them risks losing a sector that brings significant wealth to the region.
Yacht and megayacht owners are increasingly choosing other destinations, both Italian and foreign, because the daily mooring fee of 55 euros translates into a total of 3.575 euros for a 65-meter vessel. Depending on exceptional circumstances, including those unrelated to yachting, this can reach 99 euros, bringing the cost for a single day to 6.435 euros.
These amounts are completely out of line with other ports, but that's not all: in Venice, water consumption on the dock, when available because it isn't always "offered" by the operators, can cost up to 162 euros even if the yacht stays 10 minutes, regardless of whether the water is pumped or not.
"The critical rates charged by terminal operators," Gilli comments, "are forcing vessels to choose other destinations. Venice is not only beautiful and unique, but also expensive and "far away" in the upper Adriatic, and reaching it means spending hundreds of thousands of euros on fuel. Thus, we are witnessing the continued deterioration of a market that years ago, in a single season, boasted over 200 vessels ready to sail the lagoon and invest tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of euros in the area. The good news is that overall, we have very encouraging data for 2023, given that we operate in the major Italian ports, both as Luise Group and as BWA. There is certainly exponential growth in the Mediterranean basin of super-luxury yachts over 50 meters, where all ports are growing, except, of course, Venice."
According to Gilli, the solution to this gradual abandonment could be found in adjusting rates based on the chosen dock: "The yacht mooring at San Basilio has a decidedly commercial feel, overlooking Marghera, and cannot cost as much in terms of mooring as Riva Sette Martiri, overlooking San Marco." Furthermore, the representative of the Luise Yachting Adriatic agency continues, "the time a mega vessel spends mooring must be valued. If a yacht arrives in Venice with only its crew, it cannot pay the same amount as when the same vessel arrives with guests. Finally, it is important to differentiate rates based on the number of days spent moored. The longer you stay moored, the lower the rate should be. We shared this information with Port Authority representatives in a recent meeting and hope it can be the start of a "virtuous" path.
"We," Gilli concludes, "as Luise Yachting Adriatic and as the main representatives of this lagoon market, remain open to further dialogue regarding any potential future developments. Venice cannot lose a market like this, which creates so much wealth for the region."
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