GVB unveils measures to tackle skipper shortage on the IJ ferries

In July 2026, Amsterdam set out for the first time in concrete terms how it plans to tackle the persistent skipper shortage on the Amsterdam ferries. In a letter to the city council, Alderman for Mobility and Sailing Elise Moeskops (D66) acknowledges that the shortage may again lead to cancelled ferry services this summer. The letter followed written questions from the VVD about the reliability of the IJ ferries. Where earlier coverage focused mainly on the scale of the skipper shortage, the story now shifts to the measures GVB and the city are taking to keep the timetable running. That matters for commuters and visitors, because the ferries remain the main fast link between the centre and Amsterdam Noord.

Council letter lays bare the skipper shortage

The council letter makes clear just how stubborn the skipper shortage has become. GVB currently has about 33 unfilled skipper vacancies, while only six new skippers were hired in the first five months of 2026. Across all of 2025 that figure was roughly thirty, about the same as the pace of departures. Because of retirements and natural turnover, GVB actually expects a larger outflow in the coming years, so the gap could widen further. The alderman acknowledges that GVB deploys the available capacity as efficiently as possible, but that an adjusted timetable remains possible when skippers are unexpectedly unavailable. Passengers who cross daily via Centraal Station feel that tight staffing first in the morning and evening peaks.

Recruitment campaign and internal moves

To fill the vacancies, GVB is pursuing several tracks at once, of which recruitment is the most visible. The operator will soon launch a new recruitment campaign to attract extra skippers for the IJ ferries. In addition, GVB is trying to move its own staff from other roles into skipper jobs internally, so that knowledge stays within the company. To plug acute gaps, the ferry division leans ever more heavily on hired-in skippers, whose deployment rose from 9.3 FTE in 2024 to 12.5 FTE in the first quarter of 2026. That hiring-in is under pressure, however, from enforcement of the Wet DBA, the Dutch law against false self-employment, which makes contracting freelance skippers legally more complicated. Randstad Enterprise has acted as the broker for that hiring since the summer of 2025 and has put the issue to the Tax Administration, though the outcome is not yet known.

A one-skipper model and a tailored boat licence

Alongside recruitment, GVB wants to make smarter use of the scarce capacity it does have. A trial is planned on quiet routes with a so-called one-skipper model, in which a ferry sails with one skipper and one deckhand instead of two skippers. This could allow the same skipper capacity to cover more sailings. The city and GVB are also looking at the training requirements themselves, which currently form a major hurdle. Like all inland skippers, ferry skippers must hold the European Boatmaster Certificate, the so-called large boat licence, which takes about three years to obtain. The city and GVB are in talks with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, which is examining whether a tailored boat licence with a shorter training path is possible for ferry skippers.

Skippers raise concerns about the one-skipper model

After the measures were announced, the proposed one-skipper model also drew criticism from ferry crews. Schuttevaer reported on 30 July 2026 that GVB skippers consider sailing with one skipper on quiet routes irresponsible and oppose the trial. Their response gives the staffing measure a clear safety and labour dimension alongside its aim of maintaining more sailings with the available workforce. The public reporting describes a proposed experiment, not a final decision to use the model across the network. The available information also does not say that a formal safety assessment has already approved or rejected the model. For passengers, the key unanswered questions are which routes could be included, what operating conditions would apply and which emergency procedures would govern any trial.

What it means for ferry passengers this summer

For passengers, the measures are mainly a longer-term promise, while the risk of cancellations remains this summer. The weekend of 12–13 June 2026 already showed what the skipper shortage means, when all three Centraal Station lines sailed less often and about 21 service hours were lost. That reduced service on line F2, line F3 and line F7 brought longer waits and fuller boats, a picture that returns in our report on rush-hour crowding. Together with the summer 2026 timetable, the measures from the council letter are meant to stop that situation from becoming structural. In the background, crew demand also ties into the GVB ferry contract 2026–2036 and the arrival of new electric ferries, which will need newly trained skippers of their own.

How to stay ahead of cancellations

Until the skipper shortage is solved, a quick check just before you leave remains the best buffer against surprises. Amsterdam's ferries carried about 29 million passengers in 2025, and that number keeps rising because of housing growth in Amsterdam Noord, so pressure on crews stays high. If you cross regularly, it is best to check live departure times via the ferry hub or one of the ferry apps before you walk to the stop. For more context on passenger numbers and trends, see our ferry statistics, and all ferry news is collected on the news index. That way you spot an adjusted timetable sooner and can switch to metro, bus or bike in time.

Pont is an independent travel-information source and not an official GVB product. We summarise public reporting, such as the alderman's council letter and the coverage of it, so you can quickly judge whether your crossing may be affected. The measures and figures mentioned are a snapshot and may be revised by the city and GVB. When in doubt, always check GVB's current departure times and service information before you leave. That way you stay up to date on staffing, summer intervals and possible cancellations on the Amsterdam ferries.