Rotterdam canoe protest briefly blocks cruise ship arrival
P&O Cruises ship Ventura was held up in Rotterdam this week during a scheduled port call as activist group Extinction Rebellion took to the water to protest cruise ship traffic.
A group of about 15 protestors in canoes managed to briefly block Ventura’s docking in the city.
The delay was only brief, with police breaking up the blockade after about 30 minutes. Police say they arrested two people.
Ventura, which left Southampton the day before, was able to dock safely without incident.
Rotterdam was the only scheduled port call on the short cruise.
Extinction Rebellion has been protesting cruise ships in the Netherlands for the past couple of years using a variety of tactics.
It describes its actions as a ‘campaign of peaceful civil disobedience.’
Last month it blocked entry of the Celebrity Eclipse in Amsterdam, causing a delay of over two hours.
Last year Extinction Rebellion chained themselves to a bridge which opens a lock for cruise ships to enter Amsterdam.
This caused a Royal Caribbean ship to dock at another pier outside the city and delayed other ships for several hours.
“If the government still does not ban cruises, then we will stop them ourselves,” it said on social media after the latest protest.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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