Amsterdam’s city council is closing a cruise ship terminal in the city centre in a bid to limit mass tourism and curb pollution.
“Polluting cruise ships are not in line with the sustainable ambitions of our city,” said a statement from the centre-right party D66, which runs the city with the social democrats PvdA and GroenLinks environmentalists.
Authorities also said the passage of cruise ships was not compatible with plans for a new bridge between the city’s historic southern district and the Noord district, the focus of recent development projects.
The central cruise terminal on the River IJ near Amsterdam’s main train station is set to close.
Other recent measures to restore quiet to the city’s historic centre have included a ban on smoking cannabis on the streets of the red-light district.
In March, Amsterdam launched a “Stay Away” campaign to discourage tourists planning drug and alcohol-fuelled parties.
The city has long tried to curb rowdy behaviour from groups such as stag parties, especially near the red-light area where sex workers operate.
The campaign, which targets young British men, involved online advertisements warning people searching for getaways to Amsterdam of the “consequences of anti-social behavior and excessive drug and alcohol abuse”.
They include fines, arrest, criminal records, hospitalisation and health issues, the campaigns says.
It is hoped that banning cruise ships will lower air pollution levels in the city.
A 2021 study found that one big cruise ship produced the same level of nitrogen oxide as 30,000 trucks per day.
