Amsterdam bans cruise ships to limit visitors and curb pollution

Costa Medditrannia berthed in Amsterdam photo credit Spacejunkie2 (Flickr)

Amsterdam's council has banned cruise ships from the city centre as the Dutch capital tries to limit visitor numbers and curb pollution.

Politicians said the vessels were not in line with the city's sustainable ambitions.

It means the central cruise terminal on the River IJ near Amsterdam's main train station will close.

It is the latest measure to clamp down on mass tourism in the city.

Cruise ships have become a symbol of the problem, with more than 100 mooring in the capital every year.

The council has been trying to scrub up the city, banning cannabis smoking on the streets of the red-light district.

In March the city launched an online campaign urging young British men considering holding their bachelor parties in Amsterdam to stay away.

Amsterdam has become a victim of its own popularity, attracting 20 million annual visitors - some drawn by its party city reputation.

"Cruise ships in the centre of the city don't fit in with Amsterdam's task of cutting the number of tourists," said Ilana Rooderkerk of the liberal D66 party, which runs the city along with the Labour party and environmentalists.

Ms Rooderkerk recently compared cruise tourists to a type of "plague of locusts" descending all at once on the city.

Iconic buildings in Amsterdam are great for Photographers credit Spacejunkie2 (Flickr)

Other Amsterdam officials have baulked at that kind of language. But Mayor Femke Halsema complained last year that cruise tourists were let loose for a couple of hours, ate at international chains and had no time to visit a museum, consuming the city but doing little for it.

The other key reason for removing cruise ships is to lower air pollution levels in Amsterdam. A 2021 study of one big cruise ship found that it had produced the same levels of nitrogen oxides (NOx) in one day as 30,000 trucks.

Other mooring sites away from the city centre have been under consideration for some time but no decision has yet been taken.

In a separate development, Amsterdam has announced plans to beef up night-time culture for young people.

The city has outlined its aim to find nightclub locations such as disused tunnels and garages to develop the talent of "creative young people who want to organise something at night".

Are Bermudan authorities too harsh on cruise ship passengers?

Bermuda has been criticised for operating "kangaroo courts" that penalise cruise ship passengers in possession of small amounts of illicit substances.
 
Jim Walker, a lawyer based in the US, said on his personal website that port authorities are punishing people for carrying minuscule amounts of drugs, including a 25-year-old US woman with two grammes of cannabis in her cabin.

 
The culprit – Chelsea Vega – was fined $500 (£293) and Mr Walker believes those carrying drugs are targeted because they are a potential source of revenue, while those who have committed more heinous crimes are largely ignored because they generate little in the way of profit.
 
He stated that raids by port authorities on docking ships are common place.
 
"They even request the ship security personnel to open up the safes in cabins," Mr Walker went on to add.
 
Despite calls from pressure groups, the Bermudan premier has ruled out decriminalising cannabis, however, he stated that a system of cautions may be introduced for those in possession of small quantities.