Corporate chief executives, such as Tesla’s (TSLA) – Get Tesla Inc Report Elon Musk, Twitter’s (TWTR) – Get Twitter, Inc. Report Jack Dorsey, Amazon’s (AMZN) – Get Amazon.com, Inc. Report Andy Jassy and Microsoft’s (MSFT) – Get Microsoft Corporation Report Satya Nadella, have pledged their support for Ukraine following Russia’s unprovoked invasion, while their companies at the same time have provided financial support and other resources to the country under siege.
Those business titans have paved the way for many other executives and companies to step forward to provide cash, materials and services to Ukraine as it tries to stave off Russian aggression.
The luxury cruise industry will not be counted out from providing aid to Ukraine as companies begin to offer cash donations and other humanitarian aid to Ukrainian citizens.
Carnival’s Holland America Steps Up for Ukraine
Carnival’s (CCL) – Get Carnival Corporation Report Holland America Line has chartered the use of its Volendam cruise ship to house and feed up to 1,500 Ukrainian refugees as a temporary home for three months as part of an agreement with the Netherlands and the City of Rotterdam, according to an April 1 statement.
The Volendam is ported in Rotterdam and will be a significant part of the Netherlands commitment to accommodate 50,000 Ukrainians who fled the war in their country. The cruise ship will be docked at Merwehaven, a cargo port on the north side of the River Maas in Rotterdam. Docking at the port will ensure Ukrainian families can have easy access to services in Rotterdam.
“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. “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.”
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Under Carnival’s agreement for Volendam’s use by Ukrainian refugees, Holland America will provide three hot meals each day, private stateroom accommodations, housekeeping services, use of public spaces, use of public spaces, fitness facilities, internet access, and other necessities. Volendam will be staffed with approximately 650 crew members.
“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. To accommodate the three-month commitment, Holland America Line will cancel three of those voyages and resume service on July 3 instead. Guests on canceled cruises will be notified and will be accommodated on similar itineraries.
Holland America has already provided $1 million in direct emergency assistance funding for its Ukrainian team members. They also receive free counseling assistance, free internet service to communicate with family, and scheduling accommodations such as early disembarkation or an extension to remain on board as needed.
The family foundation of Carnival’s chairman Micky Arison and his wife Madeleine also pledged $3 million to charities helping Ukrainian refugees.
Norwegian Supporting Ukrainian Children
Another cruise company helping the Ukrainian cause is Norwegian Cruise Line (NCLH) – Get Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. Report, which on March 9 put its support behind the children of Ukraine announcing that it was donating $100,000 to the Save the Children’s Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund.
Royal Caribbean (RCL) – Get Royal Caribbean Group Report, which had 500 Ukrainian and 200 crew members at the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, asserted its support for both nations’ crew members on Feb. 27. It hasn’t announced any further programs at last check.
