After hotels and vacation home owners opening their doors, now a large cruise ship is welcoming its first Ukrainian refugees.
Since February 24, millions of Ukrainians have been fleeing their country invaded by Russia. The tourism industry quickly stepped in to help accommodate these unfortunate people who have often left everything behind.
At the beginning of March, the Airbnb platform opened the ball by making available tens of thousands of residences in Europe.
Now, a few hours ago, Holland America Line‘s Volendam, a 237-meter-long cruise ship docked in the Dutch city of Rotterdam, has been recruited to offer temporary shelter to nearly 1,500 Ukrainians.
The initiative is the initiative of the Dutch government, which has pledged to house up to 50,000 displaced Ukrainians.
The Volendam had not yet returned to service after the Covid-19 pandemic and was therefore fully available to assist the refugees.
With Rotterdam experiencing a housing shortage, the cruise ship solution makes the reception operations easier for the city.
“That’s why we decided to house a number of these refugees on this ship for the next few months,” a Rotterdam spokesperson told CNN.
The Ukrainians staying on board the Volendam will receive three hot meals a day, and will also be able to use the ship’s various facilities, including housekeeping and Wi-Fi. Those on board can disembark whenever they wish, including to go to school.
The Volendam ‘s upcoming cruises have been cancelled. The ship is expected to resume regular service in July.