Holland America Line‘s Volendam ship will accommodate Ukrainian refugees, as part of an agreement announced by the Netherlands and Rotterdam government officials.

The ship will dock in Rotterdam for three months to provide a temporary home for approximately 1,500 Ukrainians, as part of a larger commitment from the Netherlands to accommodate 50,000 people affected by the war.

Volendam will be staffed with around 650 crew members, who will provide three hot meals per day, private stateroom accommodations, housekeeping services, use of public spaces, fitness facilities and internet access.

“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.”

Volendam was scheduled to return to service May 15, with voyages from Rotterdam to Norway, the British Isles and Iceland. Holland America Line will cancel three of those voyages and resume service on July 3 instead. Guests on cancelled cruises will be accommodated on similar itineraries.

“We are very sorry for the inconvenience this will cause to guests booked on the three cancelled 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.”

Holland America Group has already launched a $1 million emergency assistance fund, and extra support including a counselling assistance for its Ukrainian staff members. The cruise line also aims to raise awareness and funds to Direct Relief through its On Deck for a Cause program, in which guests on every cruise may take part in a non-competitive 5K fundraising walk.

Parent company Carnival Corporation chairman Micky Arison, and his wife Madeleine, have also pledged $3 million to charities helping Ukrainian refugees.

“We stand for peace and our hearts go out to everyone whose lives have been upended by the invasion of Ukraine,” said Arnold Donald, president and chief executive officer of Carnival Corporation & plc. “We have crew members from 145 countries and we sail with guests from nations around the globe, so we feel deeply the impact of this humanitarian crisis and we join many others in supporting relief efforts.”

Many other travel industry companies are announcing plans to aid Ukrainian refugees; including LATAM Airlines Group (the largest airline in Latin America) which is making free passenger and cargo transport available to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Source: ABTA