A group of protesters tried to prevent P&O Cruises’ Ventura from visiting Rotterdam on August 24, 2025.

According to local media reports, a group of 15 Extinction Rebellion activists attempted to stop the 2008-built ship from docking at the Dutch port.

The rebels used boats and canoes to block a berth near Hotel New York, where the Ventura was set to dock.

Rijnmond reported that the protest was eventually dismissed by the police, who arrested two of the activists.

The blockage delayed the Ventura from docking by approximately half an hour, the Dutch news source stated.

“We blocked the Maas so that the cruise ship could not dock,” Extinction Rebellion said in a social media update.

“If the government still does not ban cruises, then we will stop them ourselves,” the group added, noting that action also involved rebels onshore.

The group called the Ventura a “floating environmental disaster,” claiming that cruise ships should be banned from the Netherlands.

After sailing from Southampton on August 23, the Ventura arrived in Rotterdam as part of a short cruise to the Netherlands.

In addition to an overnight stay at the port, the itinerary of the 3,100-guest ship also included a day cruising in the North Sea and the English Channel.

P&O Cruises’ Ventura is the second ship delayed by Extinction Rebellion in the Netherlands in recent weeks.

In late July, the group also tried to prevent the Celebrity Eclipse from docking at the Amsterdam Cruise Terminal.

Extinction Rebellion has also disrupted the operation of several cruise ships in the past, including vessels from Royal Caribbean, Ambassador Cruise Line and Regent Seven Seas.

In addition to the ports of Rotterdam and Amsterdam, the group also protested against cruise ships in IJmuiden and the IJmuiden locks.