Uncertainty about the arrival of refugees in Velsen-Noord: cruise ship turns out to be unavailable

As it stands, the cruise ship will arrive at Velsen-Noord at the end of August to receive 1,000 refugees, almost a month later than planned. But at the moment it is not even completely certain whether a cruise ship will come. The Victoria I is ‘no longer available’, and two possible replacement ships have not yet been finalized. The end date of the reception, March 1, remains the same, the municipality of Velsen reports in a letter.

Before there stayed ambiguity exists about the Victoria I of the Estonian shipping company Tallink. Even when the municipality announced the arrival at the open evening for residents of Velsen-Noord, more than two weeks ago, a spokesman for the Tallink Grupp said he was not aware of anything yet.

Public sources also revealed last week that the ship had started a journey from its base in Tallin in Estonia to Leith in Scotland. Scottish media reported at the same time the arrival of a cruise ship for refugees there† The COA also confirms in a letter to the municipality that the Victoria I has been leased to the Scottish government.

Questions about these developments from NH Nieuws to the COA remained unanswered in the meantime, and now it is clear why: the COA and the municipality have known since last Wednesday that the Victoria I is no longer available.

Surprised

The municipality was also surprised by this development, reports the Municipal Executive. “We were not aware that there was still no absolute certainty that the MS Victoria 1 could come to Velsen,” reads today’s letter. See also the box below.

To prevent the COA from making a mistake again, the organization says it has ‘exclusive options’ on two cruise ships. But they “still do not offer a hundred percent guarantee that the ship will actually arrive. That certainty is only available once the contract has been signed and the ship can be safely moored according to the government”.

Same conditions

According to State Secretary Eric van der Burg of Justice and Security, one of the alternative ships is offered by the same shipping company Tallink. The alternative can accommodate more people, but in a letter to the municipality COA promises that this will not happen: the same conditions will continue to apply.

This means that there thousand refugees will be received on a cruise ship at the VOB quay in Velsen-Noord, until a maximum of 1 March. Temporarily, up to a maximum of thirty days in total, 1,200 people can be accommodated.

However, it should become clear this week whether the alternative ships can be berthed in that location at all. For example, they are longer than the Victoria I.

The explanation of the Secretary of State and the municipality about missing out on the Victoria I

The State Secretary says in a letter to the municipality that he was “unpleasantly surprised” by shipping company Tallink. The municipality emphasizes that it is not a party in settling this matter.

Explanation Secretary of State

“Both COA and Sleeping Ships (the Dutch supplier of the ship) are
almost daily in contact with shipping company Tallink. On June 30, 2022, the COA and Sleeping Ships sent a letter of intent to shipping company Tallink. It is stated here that the COA intends to rent the ship for a period of six months.”

“Since the talks with the lessee of the VOB quay are still ongoing, it was not possible to definitively hire the ship. After all, it was not certain whether an agreement could be reached. In addition, various investigations into (nautical ) safety, the outcome of which was still uncertain. The COA was not informed that the Scottish government, or another party, also intended to rent the ship.”

Explanation municipality

“In an official consultation with the COA, we received an explanation about the situation that had arisen. The COA engaged a third party (sleepships.nl) to arrange the cruise ship. This party has been in contact with the owner of the ship and made agreements,
but no contract signed. The COA waited to sign the contract until the Board had made a decision. And until, on the basis of an investigation by the Environmental Services and Rijkswaterstaat, it was clear whether the ship could be safely moored at the quay. The COA did not want to run a financial risk.”

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