Amsterdam to close cruise ship port

Amsterdam: Amsterdam is set to ban cruise ships from the city in an attempt to reduce carbon emissions.

The plan has been in the works since 2016 and was approved by a local government vote on Thursday.

"The polluting cruise ships don't merge with the sustainable goals of our city," Amsterdam councilor Ilana Rooderkerk said.

"It's time to take action, the climate won't wait."

Her party, the liberal "D66," which governs the city in a coalition with the social democrats "PvdA" and the environmentalist "GroenLinks" party, pointed to the Italian tourist hub of Venice as an example, after it banned cruise ships in 2021.

Cruise terminal to move
The IJ Terminal, on the waterfront near Amsterdam's central rail station, will now have to move outside the city.

Dick de Graaff, director of Cruise Port Amsterdam, which operates the cruise terminal, said the company had taken note of the vote and is awaiting the municipality's next move.

"There is no immediate closing of the terminal. The council's call is to relocate the terminal and we await a follow up from the alderman on investigations," he told the Associated Press.

De Graaff said that the Amsterdam terminal expects 114 ships to stop there this year and 130 next year.