Amsterdam City Council decided last week to ban cruise ships from docking in the city center in a bid to curb the rise in mass tourism. The increased presence of cruise ships, of which “more than 100” dock in the capital every year, according to the BBC, is intended to symbolize the scale of the tourism problem. In addition, this decision should also help to stop the pollution that naturally accompanies the operation of the cruise ships.
20 million visitors
Every year, around 20 million visitors flock to the city, which actually only has around 800,000 inhabitants. Most tourists rush to Amsterdam’s picturesque canal belt. “Cruise ships in the city center do not fit with Amsterdam’s task of reducing the number of tourists,” said Ilana Rooderkerk of the liberal D66 party, which governs the city together with Labor and environmentalists. Rooderkerk compared cruise tourists to a kind of “locust plague” that suddenly descended on the city. The ruling party D66, on the other hand, also referred to Venice in its argumentation, which has not allowed large cruise ships since 2021. Since then, pollutant emissions have fallen by 80 percent.
Now there is also good news for Amsterdam: according to a report by the BBC, the corresponding motion was approved by the city parliament last week with an overwhelming majority on Thursday evening. However, this decision does not come as a surprise, since the first plans in this regard were already discussed in 2016. The question now is how quickly the decision can be implemented.
No immediate closure
So the IJ terminal, located right on the water and close to Amsterdam Central Station, needs to be moved out of the city. Dick de Graaff, the director of Cruise Port Amsterdam, which operates the cruise terminal, commented on the city council’s decision. “There is no immediate closure of the terminal. The council is calling for the terminal to be moved and we are awaiting the city council’s follow-up on the investigation,” he told the Associated Press.
reduce air pollution
Another key reason for banning cruise ships from the city center is to reduce air pollution in Amsterdam. According to a 2021 study, a single large cruise ship produces the same amount of nitrogen oxides (NOx) as 30,000 trucks in a day. “The polluting cruise ships don’t fit with our city’s sustainable goals. It’s time to act, the climate won’t wait,” said Amsterdam City Councilor Ilana Rooderkerk in conclusion.
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