On Saturday, July 25, the port of Civitavecchia near the Italian capital Rome experienced significant confusion after the Italian shipping company GNV canceled a scheduled voyage to the port of La Goulette in Tunisia, which led to dozens of passengers being stranded at the port amidst a state of dissatisfaction.
The news received particular attention from the Moroccan community residing in Italy, given that GNV operates several maritime routes to Moroccan ports, raising concerns that similar cancellations could occur at any time.
According to what was reported by Mosaïque FM, the company informed passengers that the cancellation of the trip was due to the lack of necessary permits for the ship’s entry and docking at the port of La Goulette. So far, Tunisian authorities or GNV have not issued an official statement clarifying the reasons for this cancellation.
A number of passengers confirmed, according to the same source, that they found themselves in a difficult situation, especially as some of them were families with children and travelers with their cars, calling on Italian and Tunisian authorities, along with the company, to intervene to find a quick solution, either by rescheduling the trip or providing suitable alternatives.
This disruption comes at the height of the summer travel season, which sees a large influx of members of the Maghreb communities residing in Europe returning to their countries for the holiday, as GNV had previously announced plans to enhance its services during the summer of 2026 to meet the increasing demand.
Although the company’s routes have experienced delays and cancellations in the past due to bad weather, technical malfunctions, or strikes, Tunisian media reports indicated that canceling a trip due to the absence of docking permits at the port is considered an unusual case.
