‘Failure is not an option’, that seems to be the motto of the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) when it comes to the reception of status holders on a cruise ship in Velsen-Noord. Despite all sorts of adversity, COA is committed, if not everything, to making sure that plan really succeeds in September, and not to go for alternative quays or ships. This is apparent from a progress letter on the matter from the Municipal Executive in Velsen.
Making the VOB quay still suitable for a sea cruise ship has, after research, shown a clear preference for COA over the reception of refugees in two smaller river cruise ships. They could receive a total of three hundred asylum seekers, which is too big a difference with the planned reception of a thousand people. In addition, sea cruise ship Silja Europe already recorded by COA for Velsen.
About two weeks ago, research showed that a ship the size of the Silja Europa could become detached from the quay in strong winds, with all the dangers that entails. Additional research has now shown that extra tubular piles will have to be placed on the quay in order to be able to moor the ship safely.
However, the following challenges present themselves: there is not enough space on the VOB quay itself, so the tubular piles will have to be installed on surrounding quays. That is why, in its own words, COA is in talks with entrepreneurs in those fields. In addition, before the tubular piles can go into the ground, research must be carried out into the possible presence of leftover explosives from the Second World War.
Determined to succeed
In the meantime, the COA is playing chess with even more boards to get the refugee reception done in time: while these talks are ongoing, Alliander is already laying a temporary electricity cable, according to the progress letter, to make shore power possible for the Silja Europa. For example, the cruise ship will soon be connected to the electricity grid instead of environmentally and noise-unfriendly generators.
That is a strong wish of the municipality and residents. Nevertheless, at peak times an aggregate that is ‘as sustainable as possible’ will be required, the Commission reports.
The Municipal Executive and the COA therefore seem determined to make the plan to receive a thousand status holders in Velsen-Noord succeed: according to the municipal letter, they are counting on the first asylum seekers to be able to push down the door handle of their ship’s cabins ‘in September’. . Other conditions remain the same: a maximum of a thousand status holders (and a maximum of 1200 for a shorter period), until a maximum of 1 March. It would also be a ‘mixed group’.
Whether the residents of Velsen-Noord are happy with the increasingly definitive plans for the arrival of the cruise ship remains to be seen. In June there were concerns about the consequences of the arrival of the ship on the quality of life in the village.
What was that again?
The COA has been working for more than two months to smooth out all the folds in order to receive a thousand status holders on a sea cruise ship at the VOB quay in Velsen-Noord.
What was that again? Let’s go back to almost two months ago, when the cabinet declared the difficult reception of asylum seekers in the Netherlands a national crisis. As one of the few municipalities in the Netherlands, the municipality of Velsen made a commitment to contribute to a solution: between September 1 and March 1, a cruise ship must arrive at the VOB quay in Velsen-Noord to receive a thousand status holders.
And in Driehuis, sixty to one hundred underage refugees will be taken care of for five years from October.
The plan for the reception of a thousand refugees in Velsen-Noord could not count on much support in the village itself. Before and during a walk-in evening for residents, they express their displeasure to Mayor Frank Dales.
Other municipalities that wanted to receive a refugee on a cruise ship, Flushing and Zaandameventually withdrew for various reasons.
No ship and no suitable quay
The location in Velsen-Noord seemed a foregone conclusion. After a few formalities, the COA thought that it had also secured the cruise ship Victoria I at the end of June, but was faced with an unpleasant surprise not much later: the ship turned out to be already booked by the Scottish governmentincluding for the reception of refugees.
Almost a month later, at the end of July, the COA succeeded to arrange a replacement sea cruise ship for Velsen-North: the Silja Europa. But in the meantime the following problem had already presented itself: the VOB quay, according to the municipality of Velsen the only suitable place for the ship within the municipal boundaries, turned out to be not safe enough for the construction of a cruise ship sea-sized.
So COA decided to conduct two studies at the same time: the first into the reception of status holders on several, smaller river cruise ships at the same location, and the second into making the quay suitable after all.
Two options
The first option is currently not preferred, according to today’s municipal letter: ‘There is a risk that river cruise ships at that location are vulnerable to passing ships and the suction of the water. In addition, a maximum of two river cruise ships can moor at the quay, which together can accommodate up to 300 refugees. That is considerably less than the maximum of 1000 refugees who can temporarily live on the sea cruise ship.’
COA sees more benefit in the second option: only extra tubular piles have to be installed for this, for which there is not enough space on the VOB quay. And so those piles have to be placed on adjacent quays, in front of entrepreneurs. COA says it is now in talks with those entrepreneurs. In addition, a specialized company is investigating possible explosives from the Second World War.