Amsterdam wants to say goodbye to the big cruise ships

The Amsterdam authorities are increasingly aiming to eliminate cruise ships. The city hall is increasingly convinced that instead of further restrictions, the cheaper solution will be a complete ban on such units until 2035.

The proposal was presented on 21 January. It assumes the gradual extinction of large cruise ships, while maintaining a limited number of river craft. The issue has been back on the agenda of the city for years, but this time in the debate the financial and political arguments are increasingly heard, which may determine the further direction of Amsterdam.

Environmental pressure and excessive tourism

The reservations on the scale of the collapses of large cruise ships to Amsterdam have been increasing for nearly a decade. So far, these units have moored in the very centre of the city, making them an easy target of criticism from environmental organisations and people tired of the intensity of maritime tourism.

Environmental activists, today present in the structures of urban power, indicate emissions of carbon dioxide, dust and nitrogen oxides generated by large ships. However, this debate ignores the regulations in force in the European Union on low sulphur fuels and the widespread use of exhaust aftertreatment installations even before the introduction of the EU's obligation to use land supply in major ports since 2030.

Restrictions instead of revolutions were enough

A compromise was reached between 2023 and 2024. As of 2026, it was planned to limit traffic to one vessel per day and a maximum of one hundred wraps per year for oceanic units. A year later, the mandatory use of land power would enter into force. At the same time, the city announced a reduction, but not a liquidation, of the collapse of river ships.

In parallel, analyses of the transfer of the Passengers Terminal Amsterdam to the east of the city began in 2035. Although the final report has not yet been published, some councillors already claim that the study has shown that such a solution is not profitable.

Costs and policies instead of sentiments

According to the information cited by the Western media, the cost of relocation of the terminal was estimated at EUR 85 million without a guarantee of return on this investment. According to estimates, the revenues from the operation of cruise ships will only amount to EUR 46 million over 30 years. Such a balance has become a fuel for political declarations of the necessity to definitively end the presence of "floating dwelling blocks" in the city.

The political calendar is not meaningless. The final decision belongs to the city council, but in March there will be local elections in Amsterdam. This means that a new ruling team will be given a possible solution.

Other ports await, Europe tightens course

Opponents of the ban have long shown that the traffic of cruise ships can be taken over by other ports. In this context, Rotterdam, which already serves part of the units, is the most common one, offering bus passengers to Amsterdam.

Amsterdam would join other European cities that have taken action to limit the entry of cruise ships. Barcelona also plans to reduce the number of cruisers' calls, while the French Riviera has introduced limits on both unit size and annual number of port calls. Other destinations, such as the Greek islands, introduced new passenger taxes to deal with the influx of tourists on the most besieged islands.

As you can see, Amsterdam is following the path that other European port cities had previously taken, gradually reducing the traffic of large cruise ships in the very centres of European cities.