British Cruise Ship Returns to Port After Oil Spill Closes River
Key Aspects:
Ambassador Cruise Line’s Ambition returned to Antwerp after an oil spill closed the Scheldt River.
The ship was not affected by the spill but had to remain in port until authorities reopened the waterway.
The closure forced itinerary changes before it concludes its 6-night voyage in Portsmouth, UK.
Plans for a short cruise through Belgium, France, and the Netherlands were interrupted on April 9, 2026, after an oil spill on one of Europe’s busiest waterways forced a cruise ship to return to port.
UK-based Ambassador Cruise Line confirmed that its ship Ambition turned around and returned to Antwerp, Belgium, after local port authorities closed the Scheldt River due to a significant oil spill involving another vessel.
The 1,200-passenger ship had departed Portsmouth, UK, on April 6, 2026, for a 6-night sailing and had already visited Ijmuiden, Netherlands, for an overnight call and reached Antwerp for what was meant to be a 14-hour visit.
As the ship was departing the Belgian port at 11 p.m. local time, officials notified the ship of the spill and halted vessel traffic along the river. As a result, the captain sailed the ship back to Antwerp with assistance from local tugboats.
The cruise line said the ship itself was not affected by the spilled oil but was required to remain docked until authorities reopened the waterway.
“The safety and wellbeing of our guests and crew is always our highest priority, and we thank our Captain and crew for their professionalism in managing the situation,” the cruise line said in a statement, apologizing for the disruption.
Passengers were notified about the situation soon after the ship returned to port. A second announcement was made to guests at noon UK time on April 10 with an update on the ship’s revised schedule after the unexpected overnight in Antwerp.
Ambition is now expected to depart Antwerp at 4 p.m. local time, once authorities reopen the waterway.
The incident forced adjustments to the remainder of the itinerary, now skipping its April 10 scheduled call in Bruges, Belgium, and an April 11 visit to Honfleur, France.
Ambition will now travel overnight to Le Havre, France, arriving midday on April 11 and staying until 11:30 p.m. It will then return to Portsmouth on April 12, as planned.
Ambassador Cruise Line did not specify if any reimbursements would be offered to passengers for the missed calls, but it is likely to have rescheduled all excursions for guests.
Trouble on the Scheldt River
The Scheldt River connects the North Sea to inland Belgium and is heavily used by cargo ships, tankers, and passenger vessels.
Authorities closed part of the river after oil leaked during a refueling operation at the Deurganck Dock inside the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, with the spill occurring while the container ship MSC Denmark VI was being refueled. The pollution spread from the dock into the river.
Emergency response teams were sent to contain the spill and prevent oil from spreading along the tidal river and nearby marshlands. By Friday afternoon, local time, port officials reopened the river to ship traffic, with some parts of the port remaining closed.
No additional cruise ships were in Antwerp at the time of the oil spill, although smaller cruise lines such as Windstar Cruises, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ Europa 2, and SeaDream Yacht Club are regularly visiting the port.
The 48,123-gross-ton Ambition is not scheduled to visit Antwerp again in 2026, sailing from Portsmouth, London, Liverpool, and Belfast, UK, throughout the spring, summer, fall, and winter seasons.
British Cruise Ship Returns to Port After Oil Spill Closes River