The regional administrative court of Lazio in Italy has revoked the environmental approval for the proposed Fiumicino-Isola Sacra tourist and cruise marina near Rome, casting uncertainty over the €600 million (R9,8 billion) project linked to the Royal Caribbean Group.
The July 3 ruling cancelled the environmental impact assessment issued by Italy’s Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security.
The court found that the project had been assessed as a tourist marina despite including a significant cruise component, including a dedicated cruise pier, port operations for about 200 days a year and potential traffic of about 1,3 million tourists.
It ruled that the development should instead be classified as a multifunctional port, placing it under Italy's port-sector regulations. The court also found that the Municipality of Fiumicino was not entitled to act as the proponent of the environmental impact assessment.
Fiumicino Waterfront, the company responsible for the development, intends to challenge the ruling.
