SAIL 2025: Amsterdam enforces strict navigation rules amid record fleet
As Amsterdam readies for the tenth edition of SAIL from August 20 to 24, port authorities have issued strict rules to manage the influx of pleasure and professional vessels. Over 10,000 ships from 20 countries are expected to participate.
All vessels in IJ Harbor must keep to the right and maintain a maximum speed of six kilometers per hour. “It has to be slow. If something goes wrong, the impact is obviously greater,” Mathijs Boes, a harbor officer with Port of Amsterdam, told AT5.
A safety zone will be in place on IJ Harbor between Stenen Hoofd and Surinamekade from 7 a.m. August 20 to 8 p.m. August 24. Within the zone, vessels must maintain six kilometers per hour, cannot anchor, and may not turn.
Pleasure boats with a transit permit may cross the IJ Harbor via the Jan Schaeferbrug up to five times free of charge during the event. No permit is needed for navigating on the IJ Harbor itself. Boats from the Stenen Hoofd area toward the parade route may turn around near the lead ship if necessary.
Sail-In on August 20 will close the waterways from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Only ships no larger than 85 by 11.45 meters with official SAIL accreditation may participate. Similar rules apply for Sail-Out on August 24, from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Professional shipping is allowed outside Sail-In and Sail-Out parades, but only in convoys escorted by Port of Amsterdam or police. Other skippers must maintain distance
SAIL 2025 will also enforce environmental measures in IJhaven, requiring emission-free boats powered by electricity, hydrogen, or manual propulsion. Port of Amsterdam and Rijkswaterstaat will ensure compliance.
