The cabinet is going to rent three cruise ships for the reception of asylum seekers, Van der Burg said in a letter to the House of Representatives on Thursday. Due to the great shortage of reception places for asylum seekers, the cabinet is diligently looking for new locations. The cruise ships will be moored at the quay, Van der Burg reports.
The ships will not be anchored on open water, ‘because it is difficult to resupply the ships, there are safety risks associated with shelter at sea and it is not possible to organize a shuttle service between the ship and the quay at all times’ the Secretary of State writes. Last week, the plan for shelter on the high seas was heavily criticized by refugee clubs. They called it an ‘absurd idea’. The COA (Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers) liked the plan: “As COA, we have now been trained in difficult jobs, so we are used to something,” a spokesperson said.
Velsen
The first cruise ship should dock in the municipality of Velsen. But the quay there is not yet suitable for large cruise ships, so the question is whether that will work. Nevertheless, the cabinet believes that it should be possible to start using the ship in Velsen as a reception location as of 1 September. Discussions are also ongoing with several municipalities about the possibility of docking the second cruise ship. This should be done by October 1. There must be room for about a thousand asylum seekers on each ship.