City transit company GVB is evaluating a proposal to reduce the number of captains on selected Amsterdam ferry routes from two to one. Under the trial plan, a deckhand would stand alongside a single skipper to maintain double-crewing safety protocols.
The measure is a direct response to a persistent shortage of qualified ferry captains in the capital. The operator currently faces a deficit of around ten captains, which made maintaining normal sailing schedules during recent major events particularly tight.
Opposition from workers and works council
The proposal has met strong resistance from within the company. Staff members have raised safety concerns regarding single-captain operations on busy water corridors like the IJ, with some workers discussing potential strike action if the trial proceeds.
The works council has also voiced criticism, describing the planned experiment as irresponsible under current working conditions. Staff representatives have submitted negative recommendations during ongoing internal consultations.
Longer-term solutions under discussion
Operations Director Ramon Rippens confirmed that management is aware of the pushback. He emphasized that the trial will only move forward if safety standards can be fully guaranteed, noting that discussions with the works council remain active.
To address the underlying staffing shortage over the longer term, GVB is in talks with national infrastructure agency Rijkswaterstaat and government ministry officials. The parties are exploring options to shorten the current four-year training program required to become a certified ferry skipper.
For now, management maintains that two captains per vessel remains the ideal standard. Whether the single-skipper trial will actually launch depends on the outcome of discussions with staff representatives in the coming weeks.
