Safety experts are to carry out an examination of ferry services in Amsterdam following a collision with a pier at the weekend that left 13 people injured.

Sunday’s incident happened at about 3.45pm, when a passenger ferry from Buiksloterweg hit the pontoon behind Centraal Station. None of the victims was seriously hurt but two were examined in hospital, one for a broken wrist and another because she was pregnant.

The city’s public transport authority GVB said the collision may have been caused by a technical fault that meant the ferry was unable to brake in time. ‘We think the screw on the left-hand side may be broken, but we need to investigate it properly,’ said a spokesman.

A spokesman for the transport safety inspectorate told NH Nieuws that it would be stepping up checks on all ferry routes across the Noordzeekanaal, including services to Velsen, Assendelft and Zaandam.

Passengers’ lobby group Maatschappij voor Beter OV said GVB was unfit to run the commuter ferries. ‘Since this accident is just one in a long series of incidents, the conclusion has to be that GVB has shown itself to be unable to guarantee the safety of its ferry services.’