Ambassador Cruise Line has again chosen not to dock a ship in Amsterdam to avoid a planned Extinction Rebellion (XR) protest in the city on Monday (26 August).
Passengers sailing on the line’s Ambience ship will instead be bused into the Dutch city from IJmuiden which is around an hour’s drive away.
This is the same action the line took last weekend when its Ambition ship had been due to dock during another Extinction Rebellion protest.
Ambassador said on Thursday (22 August): “As you’re aware there have been a series of protests by Extinction Rebellion happening in Amsterdam and we have been informed by our local port agents that they are planning to do the same for our call to Amsterdam on Monday 26 August preventing Ambience from entering the locks for her passage to the Amsterdam cruise terminal.
“As a precaution, and to secure a berth, we have decided to amend our call and berth to Ijmuiden, which is approximately a one-hour drive to Amsterdam.”
Ambassador added: “We have arranged a complimentary transfer service for those wishing to go to the city.
“For those booked on our destination experiences, these will operate; however, the duration will be extended to allow for the additional transfer time to Amsterdam.
“We apologise to our guests for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your understanding.”
Extinction Rebellion protestors have also targeted Royal Caribbean International’s Serenade of the Seas ship in recent days before calling for “an immediate end to the cruise industry” in a statement posted online.
On 10 August, another Royal ship – Jewel of the Seas – was forced to divert to IJmuiden rather than dock in Amsterdam and the day before that Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ Seven Seas Mariner was delayed for more than hours when climate activists blocked its entry into IJmuiden port.
Cruise ships have also been the focus of protests in France this summer. Activists from the Stop Cruises BZH Collective and Extinction Rebellion groups banded together to block another Regent ship Seven Seas Voyager from entering Concarneau in north-west France.