Ambassador diverts trade sailing due to Extinction Rebellion protest
Ambassador Cruise Line has been forced to redraw a trade sailing due to a planned Extinction Rebellion protest in Amsterdam
Ambience, which was due to call into the port on Friday (25 October), will now berth at Ijmuiden overnight, which is approximately a one-hour drive from Amsterdam.
The three-night sailing, which departed from Tilbury on Thursday (24 October) and will return to the UK on Sunday (27 October) 2024, sees the vessel host around 200 agents from The Advantage Travel Partnership for the consortium’s Latitude Cruise Conference 2024.
Ambassador was advised by local port agents that Extinction Rebellion was planning to mount protests on 25 and 26 October which could prevent the vessel from entering the locks for its passage to the city’s cruise terminal during the itinerary.
“The safety, security and comfort of all our guests, crew and partners is paramount,” the line said in a statement. “We have arranged a complimentary transfer service for those guests wishing to visit the city and Destination Experiences will be operating as normal.
“All guests travelling on the sailing have been advised that the duration of these experiences will be extended to allow for the additional transfer time to Amsterdam.
“We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and would like to thank Ambience guests for their understanding and our partners at The Advantage Travel Partnership for their support following this change to the itinerary.”
Earlier this year, Amsterdam City Council announced it will be relocating its cruise terminal away from the city centre by 2035 in a bid to combat “nuisance” and over-tourism.
The authority also outlined plans to almost halve the number of ships allowed to dock at the Passenger Terminal Amsterdam (PTA) by 2026 from 190 to 100 per year.
