Holland America Ship To House Ukrainian Refugees
byDori Saltzman/The Netherlands will use Holland America Line’s Volendam as a temporary shelter for Ukrainian refugees in the Netherlands during a three-month stay in Rotterdam. During that time, the ship will house and feed approximately 1,500 Ukrainians, part of a larger commitment by the country to accommodate 50,000 people.
“We are in a unique position to accommodate the immediate need for food and housing, so we felt it was very important to work with the City of Rotterdam and charter this ship,” said Gus Antorcha, president of Holland America Line. “Our company was founded in Rotterdam around the mission of helping immigrants find a better life. So today we’re proud to be a small part of a similar mission for Ukrainians who have tragically been displaced.”
Under the agreement to charter Volendam, Holland America will provide three hot meals per day, private stateroom accommodations, housekeeping services, use of public spaces, fitness facilities, internet access and other necessities. Volendam will be staffed with about 650 crew members.
Volendam was scheduled to return to service May 15, sailing from Rotterdam to Norway, the British Isles and Iceland. Three of these voyages have been canceled and instead the ship will return to service on July 3. Guests on canceled cruises are being notified and can choose to be put on another sailing with a similar itinerary.
“We are very sorry for the inconvenience this will cause to guests booked on the three canceled cruises,” said Antorcha. “We hope they understand the unprecedented nature of this situation and why we felt it was important to work with the government on this initiative in support of these families in need.”
荷兰美国集团(Holland America Group)还成立了100万美元的紧急援助基金,向其乌克兰团队成员提供直接的财务支持。乌克兰的船员可以获得咨询援助,免费互联网与家人交流和安排住宿,例如早期下船或扩展,以便根据需要保持船上。
HAL并不是唯一向房屋难民提供船的唯一路线。AmaWaterways is also providing a shipto the Netherlands, while Costa Cruises’ Costa Magica is being used to help refugees in Italy. The family foundation of HAL and Costa parent company Carnival Corporation’s chairman Micky Arison also pledged $3 million to charities helping Ukrainian refugees. And, Profits from the most recent New York Travel and Adventure Show, hosted by TMR and Unicomm, were alsodedicated to organizations providing relief to Ukraine.