Rijkswaterstaat prepares for record boat traffic at Amsterdam locks during SAIL

With more than 10,000 ships expected for SAIL Amsterdam, Rijkswaterstaat is preparing for an unprecedented flow of vessels at the Oranjesluizen, the passage linking the IJmeer and Markermeer with the IJ.

The agency said Sunday it will deploy additional staff to keep the route safe as thousands of ships converge on the capital during the five-day nautical event, which runs Wednesday through next Sunday. Organizers expect between 2.3 and 2.5 million visitors.

Normally, about 300 ships a day use the Oranjesluizen, but at the last SAIL in 2015 peak days saw nearly 2,000 boats. Officials warned this year’s numbers could be even higher. “How many exactly we will see this year, we cannot predict, but it could well be more,” a Rijkswaterstaat spokesperson said. “The weather looks favorable, and more people nowadays own a boat.”

To manage the surge, traffic controllers, lock operators, and patrol vessels will be reinforced, and every available steward will be stationed at the locks to guide skippers. Rijkswaterstaat said these measures are meant to prevent congestion and accidents at one of the busiest points for boaters heading into Amsterdam.

Freight and passenger traffic will continue as normal throughout the event. “We assess each situation to decide whether inland shipping can sail through alongside other traffic and sailing ships, or whether this must happen under escort,” the spokesperson said. “The latter we call convoy sailing: we then guide inland vessels in a kind of train through the event.”

In addition to the maritime preparations, authorities are restricting airspace over Amsterdam during SAIL. Drones and small recreational aircraft are prohibited from flying over the SAIL area, with violations considered punishable, Luchtverkeersleiding Nederland (Air Traffic Control the Netherlands, LVNL) said.

The restriction, set in consultation with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, is designed to keep the airspace safe. Only emergency services, media helicopters, and drones registered with the organizers are allowed to fly.

On August 20 and 24, the days of the SAIL-In and SAIL-Out parades, the airspace restriction will also extend over IJmuiden and the Noordzeekanaal.