City officials in Amsterdam are now mulling a full ban of ocean cruise ships in the Netherlands capital.
Amsterdam’s mayor and some aldermen say a ban of ocean-going cruise ships within a decade is now their favored option.
A full ban is not a new idea although the existing plan was to restrict cruise ship traffic and eventually relocate the central Passenger Terminal Amsterdam to the Western Harbor Area outside the city.
Ship limits were to begin this year. This entails only one ship call per day and no more than 100 calls by ocean cruise ships a year. All ships are required to plug in to shore power from 2027. There were also plans to limit the number of river cruise ships.
The next phase of this original plan was to relocate the passenger terminal to outside the city by 2035, although this is still pending the publication of a full feasibility report.
Call for full cruise ship ban by 2035
Based on the cost of a new passenger terminal and the reduced revenues due to the cruise ship restrictions, some city officials now say it makes sense to just impose a complete ban on cruise ship traffic in the city.
However, it is not an official proposal up for debate yet. That decision will be taken by the city council after local elections in March. Councilman Rob Hofland said: “We are finally going to free Amsterdam from these floating apartment blocks.”
If a complete cruise ship ban is implemented, it doesn’t mean cruise ship guests won’t get the opportunity to explore Amsterdam.
Nearby Rotterdam is being touted as an alternative port of call. In fact, some cruise lines already call there instead of the capital. This is partly due to public opposition to large cruise ships and demonstrations by anti-cruise activists. Rotterdam is around a one-hour drive from Amsterdam.
