Activist group Extinction Rebellion has once again confronted a cruise ship in the Netherlands seeking to prevent it docking at port. A small group of protestors in canoes temporarily blocked P&O Cruises ship Ventura when it arrived in Rotterdam.
Ship’s Arrival Delayed Just 30 Minutes
They attempted to stop the cruise ship in the water near the New York Hotel, blocking its passage to the dock. Police said there were around 15 protesters on the water. Two were arrested in the short standoff which delayed the ship’s arrival by about 30 minutes. The group also had protestors demonstrating on land. The P&O Ventura had departed Southampton, England the day before and Rotterdam was the only port call on the short cruise itinerary.
The activist group has held several protests in the Netherlands targeting large cruise ships. “We blocked the Maas River so that the cruise ship could not dock. If the government still does not ban cruises, then we will stop them ourselves,” Extinction Rebellion said on social media.
It calls vessels like Ventura “floating environmental disasters.” The group, which has chapters across western Europe and the UK, describes its activities as a “campaign of peaceful civil disobedience.”
Extinction Rebellion Held Several Anti-Cruise Protests in Amsterdam
Just last month Extinction Rebellion staged a similar, larger protest in Amsterdam, preventing the Celebrity Eclipse from docking in the city for more than two hours. On this occasion around 30 activists formed a floating barrier in canoes and inflatables on the water. Dutch police eventually broke up the protest and arrested five people for obstruction.
Last summer, members of the group chained themselves to a bridge which gives ships access to Amsterdam. It prevented a Royal Caribbean ship from entering, which turned around and docked at a different pier outside the city.
On the same day a second ship was delayed for several hours before police broke up the protest. The group has also disrupted the arrival of other ships operated by UK based Ambassador Cruise Line and Regent Seven Seas.
