Industry organization CLIA - and the port of Amsterdam itself - have issued statements clarifying news reports last week that ocean cruising would be banned in the heart of the Dutch capital.
Open Jaw was among those reporting from the city of Amsterdam that its council is planning to ban ocean cruise ships from the destination to limit pollution and over tourism. Reports said the city’s downtown cruise port and terminal would close to ocean ships – putting the future of what CLIA says are 100 ships that visit Amsterdam every year in jeopardy.
Those reports aligned with other recent airline news that the Dutch government recently won a final court challenge to its mandate that AMS not just limit, but actually cut the number of flights daily by a whole 10 per cent in order to reduce noise pollution.
The cruise industry and the port itself say no ban has yet occurred, and in fact, long-term development of the port has city backing.
CLIA, the Cruise Line Industry Association, issued a statement on 21JUL, clarifying the actual situation, calling previous media reports “incorrect.”
CLIA points out that the port itself has publicly stated that cruise ships have not been banned from Amsterdam, backed up by a quote in Seatrade from Dick de Graaff, director Cruise Port Amsterdam (CPA) saying that CPA "is open for business as usual with cruiseships continuing to call as per the schedule."
He says the CPA has bookings into 2026.
“Furthermore,” CLIA's statement continues, “the port and Passenger Terminal Amsterdam have already pledged to undertake investments worth millions of Euros in port infrastructure and shoreside electricity for the long-term."
Seatrade's report points out that Amsterdam's city council only weeks ago agreed to install shore power at CPA by 2025, with one connection for ocean and 8 for river ships.
In addition to clarifying that there are actually long term investments and developments in place for the continued (and more sustainable) use of the port, CLIA adds, “We are working with the authorities to accommodate the views expressed by (Amsterdam city) Council members while continuing to support the communities that benefit from cruise tourism.”
And it pointed out that, if the city feels it’s become too popular for its own good, banning cruising is no ‘magic bullet’ that will solve issues associated with over tourism: “Of the more than 21 million visitors that Amsterdam receives each year, around 1% arrive by cruise ship.”
Furthermore, cruising in Amsterdam, like it does in other destinations, adds a lot of value to the local economy. CLIA’s statement points out that cruise tourism contributes “around 105 million Euros to the city annually.”
The ban on ocean cruise ships docking at the current downtown Amsterdam location may have been called for by some council members - but is not yet city policy and may never be.
“There have been discussions on (the port and Passenger Terminal Amsterdam’s) relocation outside the city centre which started back in 2016 and which are still ongoing,” CLIA acknowledged.
De Graaf's statement says: 'There is no policy proposal yet nor has there been mention of any timeline. Cruise Port Amsterdam has taken note of this statement and awaits further information."
