Security has been tightened at Italian ports during the peak tourist season to foil possible terrorist attacks on crowded ships, coastguard said on Thursday.
Extra checks are being carried out on vehicles and passengers and the entrance to ports and their various staging areas are being monitored more closely, the coastguard stated.
Each port authority have to bring their security measures in line with the new ones from central command, it added.
The new measures are not linked to specific threats, the coastguard said.
The US State Department currently warns there is a "risk of potential terrorist attacks throughout Europe, targeting major events, tourist sites, restaurants, commercial centres and transportation".
Following the recent wave of jihadist attacks in France and Germany, Italy is on 'level two' terror alert, the highest possible in the absence of a direct attack.
