An environmentalist group blocked and delayed a cruise ship from docking in Amsterdam on Aug. 18, making it the third such interruption there in recent weeks.
In the demonstrations, the Dutch group Extinction Rebellion protested by chaining and, at least once, gluing themselves to the gate and roadway bridge at the IJmuiden locks at the North Sea Canal, preventing or delaying access to Amsterdam, according to Maritime Executive.
Extinction Rebellion is demanding an immediate end to the cruise industry, Maritime Executive reported.
To date, three cruise ships have been caught up in the protests. The latest was Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas, which attempted to arrive on Aug. 18. The ship, which has earned a following for hosting a 274-day Ultimate World Cruise, arrived to find protestors at the locks. According to a Barron's report, police removed the protestors around 5 p.m. No arrests were made.
The protesters reportedly arrived at the locks around 3 a.m. to block the Jewel of the Seas on Aug. 10. The ship later backed up and docked instead at the terminal in IJmuiden to disembark passengers at the end of their 12-day roundtrip Arctic Circle cruise.
The disruption required the port authority to organize 80 buses and trucks to transport passengers either to the airport or the center of Amsterdam. Meanwhile Royal Caribbean had to transport guests to the ship for the next cruise.
Royal Caribbean Group did not respond to a request for comment.
On Aug. 11, the protest group blocked Regent's Seven Seas Mariner from entering the port of IJmuiden, which delayed its arrival by more than four hours, reported Cruise Hive.