KRALENDIJK- On Friday, for the first time in a long time, two large cruise ships moored in the port of Kralendijk. While docking several cruise ships a day was a common sight before the Covid pandemic outbreak, a visit from more than one cruise ship has not occurred in recent months.

Commissioner Hennyson Thielman says he is working on a policy that involves a better spread of cruise ships over the year. “We would prefer to see only one cruise ship a day to avoid congestion,” said the deputy a few months ago when presenting his Tourism Recovery Plan.

Still, Thielman warned that it would still happen on certain days. “Cruise ships determine their sailing schedule a long time in advance and we cannot avoid that sometimes two cruise ships will moor.” The Commissioner also said he wanted to prevent the Public Entity from having to deal with claims for damages for revoking previous commitments.

Controversial

The visit of the large cruise ships and the strong growth in the number of cruise passengers on the island can count on an increasing resistance on the island. Many people think that the island is becoming too crowded. Other critics fear environmental damage to the island, such as straining the fragile corals around the island.