Venice, hunting for the wrecks of abandoned boats in the lagoon
Venice Lagoon Plastic Free with the consultation of San Giuliano and with the help of the Pertini district which lent a generator to operate the pump, implemented the first concrete action on Thursday to “liberate” the lagoon eaves from too many abandoned boat wrecks . «We managed to get the Pilotina abandoned for decades in Seno Della Sepa on the waterline, next week we will bring the boat and probably three other smaller ones to Punta San Giuliano from where it will be possible to load them onto a truck or barge to be taken disposal, with everyone’s collaboration, the Lagoon can be freed from the numerous boats that have been lying abandoned for years by people with no love for our Lagoon», explain the volunteers who worked in the sandbank on Thursday.
THE WRECKS IN THE LAGOON
Abandoned waste of local origin includes “ghost boats”, wrecks of fiberglass or fiberglass wood boats, unregistered and abandoned along the shoals, waterways and canals of the Venice lagoon. They have been lying sunken or stranded for a long time, in places that are often difficult to reach. As explained by the Venetian association that deals with freeing Venice from plastic, these wrecks of boats, with their presence, «help to spread macro and micro contaminants deriving from resins, paints, metals. Furthermore, by obstructing the canals, depending on the tides they can represent dangerous obstacles for navigation, as well as undermining the landscape and naturalistic integrity of Venice”.
HOW MANY
In 2020 the mapping work of the volunteers of the consultation of the middle lagoon of San Giuliano in the lagoon edge, between San Giuliano, Forte Marghera and the Salso canal had highlighted the presence of at least 80 wrecks of boats, sunk or on the surface of the water. About fifty along the Osellino were brought ashore and disposed of last year by the Consorzio di Bonifica with the works between the Pertini and the artefact at the Rotte.
THE PROJECT
And so thanks to a sponsor, the Maschio wineries, the volunteers have set up an experimental supply chain which, they say, is capable of managing the recovery and treatment of ghost boats in Venice through a census, identification, removal and recycling. Groups and associations from various areas collaborate: starting with the associations of the San Giuliano nautical pole, but the Poseidone association is also involved, in close collaboration with the Basin Acque Risorgive authority, the Interregional Superintendency for Public Works for the Veneto, Trentino Alto Adige and Friuli Venezia Giulia Former Water Magistrate – Venice, Municipality of Venice and Cavallino Treporti. The recovery of Bosco Bielo and the recycling of the acquired material will be carried out by the company Gees Recycling of Aviano in collaboration with Caracol. On this occasion, the association will conduct some sampling of the mud and water adjacent to the wrecks to evaluate the possible transmission and presence of possible contaminants and microplastics. The vessel removal operations in the field will be carried out the week of November 21st to 27th.