Amsterdam is certainly looking to keep massive cruise ships from berthing in the centre of the city to reduce air pollution and prevent thousands of partygoers from laying siege to residential areas.
But an industry group said city officials do not plan to outright ban these vessels from the popular tourist destination, as some media reports have suggested.
The city’s Local Council approved a proposal on Thursday, however, to relocate the terminal to a less central area within the city, to be determined.
“We are aware of the media reports about the future of cruise in Amsterdam,” the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) said in a statement.
“As the port has publicly stated, cruise ships have not been banned from Amsterdam.”
CLIA said the port and Passenger Terminal Amsterdam have pledged to invest millions of euros in port infrastructure upgrades and shoreside electricity “for the long-term”, but the terminal may get moved to a less central area within the city.
“There have been discussions on its relocation outside the city centre which started back in 2016 and which are still ongoing,” CLIA said.
“We are working with the authorities to accommodate the views expressed by council members while continuing to support the communities that benefit from cruise tourism.”
About 1% of the city’s 21m yearly visitors arrive by cruise ship and contribute about €105m every year to the local economy, CLIA said.
The port expects 114 ships, which unload thousands of passengers at a time, to visit Amsterdam this year, the Associated Press has reported. That number is anticipated to grow to 130 ships in 2024.
The port has said that the cruise terminal will remain open, but its days near the city centre within close proximity to Amsterdam’s bars, restaurants and famed red light district may be numbered.
“The current situation has no influence on the already booked calls at our port or even on booked events in the terminal,” the port said.
“There is no policy proposal yet, nor has there been mention of any timeline.”
For now, the port awaits to hear back from city officials regarding its future.
“We believe this may involve investigating a new location,” Port of Amsterdam said.
“When the response will come, we do not know at this moment.”
