Rome - A cruise ship with 1 500 people on board has been stranded since early Tuesday in the Venice Lagoon after a fire broke out in its engine room, news reports said.
The fire on the Zenith - owned by the Spanish company Pullmantur, a subsidiary of the US group Royal Caribbean Cruises - has been put out and no passenger or crew member was injured, the Gazzettino newspaper reported.
The ship was said to be about 20 kilometres off the city of Chioggia, which is situated on the southern tip of the lagoon. It was expected to be towed to Venice's port by trailers.
Cruise ship traffic has increased exponentially in Venice, bringing in wealth but also sparking protests from local community groups and environmental activists. Opposition has grown since last year's Costa Concordia shipwreck off Italy's west coast, in which 32 people died. - Sapa-dpa