A cruise ship collided into a tourist boat in Venice, Italy at roughly 8:30 am CET on Sunday.

The collision occurred on the Giudecca Canal, a major thoroughfare that leads to Saint Mark's Square in the northeastern Italian city.

Video filmed from a balcony nearby showed the cruise ship, apparently unable to halt its momentum, blaring its horn as it ploughed into the much smaller riverboat and the dock.

The cruise ship's owner, MSC Cruises, said the ship, the MSC Opera, was about to dock at a passenger terminal in Venice when it had a mechanical problem.

Two towboats guiding the cruise ship into Venice tried to stop the massive cruise ship, but they were unable to prevent it from ramming into the riverboat.

Venice is a tremendously popular site for both tourists and cruise ships, especially during the summer tourist season.

Following the accident, calls for banning cruise ships in Venice, long a source of contention in the over-extended tourist city, were renewed.