The Volendam in Rotterdam

[rotjeknor]

Some pics of the Volendam in the Merwehaven in Rotterdam where she will be for the next 3 months housing Ukrainian refugees.

[rajkr74]

Nice photos.  Just wish HAL would have told us of this move before final payment.  Not happy with the replacement cruises being offered.  We were staying on for the 14 day cruise on 7-17-22 which is going (maybe) but now not sure what to do????  Got to see how flexible HAL will be on rebooking a replacement cruise.  This makes the 10th cruise we have had canceled since covid started.  But this one is not covid related.  Frustrated is a minor word here.

[Himself]

Thanks for the pictures.

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for the pictures.

[highland cruiser]

Nice to see the ship is in the Netherlands.  

[rotjeknor]

23 hours ago, rajkr74 said:

Nice photos.  Just wish HAL would have told us of this move before final payment.  Not happy with the replacement cruises being offered.  We were staying on for the 14 day cruise on 7-17-22 which is going (maybe) but now not sure what to do????  Got to see how flexible HAL will be on rebooking a replacement cruise.  This makes the 10th cruise we have had canceled since covid started.  But this one is not covid related.  Frustrated is a minor word here.

Thanks. We are on the july 17  sailing as well , fingers crossed….. From what I read in the Dutch newspapers and heard on the tv , the deal was made on april 1 st. The destination on Marine Traffic was still Scheveningen Anchor in the morning, but changed to Rotterdam at night, Dutch time on april 1 st. The Dutch government passed an emergency law stating that every municipality is ordered to find adequate housing for the 50000 expected refugees according to the size of the town/ city . So Rotterdam and the HAL ( nice 3 month charter ) picked the Volendam. River cruise ships and hotels are also being used since there’s a huge housing shortage in the Netherlands. A lot of refugees will likely return to Ukraine, but some will certainly stay . They can stay for up to three years under a protected status, they don’t need a work permit and are offered housing, schools for the children, medical attention and some weekly money to cover basic needs not offered in the temporary shelters. In my opinion, using the Volendam is a win win for both parties. Sad that is affecting us cruisers , but for the ones involved it’s even worse.

When our may 1 st cruise was canceled on the Volendam ( nr. 12 since Covid started…) , we were offered several alternatives, we took the may 8 sailing on the Rotterdam. All our OBC and other perks were transferred to the new booking along with 100 usd extra OBC. Initially the new cabin we were booked in was not to my liking, one phonecall with the HAL took care of that and resulted in a partial refund as well (paid out within 14 days). Hope it works out for you as well !

[triiip42]

On 4/2/2022 at 4:37 AM, rotjeknor said:

Some pics of the Volendam in the Merwehaven in Rotterdam where she will be for the next 3 months housing Ukrainian refugees.

 

 

 

Do you know if during this period, they will be able to access shore power as well as shore potable water and wastewater facilities? Or will they be on the ship's systems the entire time?

[rkacruiser]

1 hour ago, triiip42 said:

Do you know if during this period, they will be able to access shore power as well as shore potable water and wastewater facilities? Or will they be on the ship's systems the entire time?

 

Your questions are very interesting ones.  Thank you for thinking of them; I would appreciate learning the answers as well.  

[rotjeknor]

32 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Your questions are very interesting ones.  Thank you for thinking of them; I would appreciate learning the answers as well.  

I know that the Port Authorities of Rotterdam have recently started a study at 4 locations , including the cruise terminal, to determine what is needed for shorepower for seagoing vessels . Results expected in 2023. There are shorepower and water facilities for river cargoships as they usually are at the piers longer waiting for freight.

 I will go the Merwehaven, where the Volendam is docked, in the coming weeks and see what I can find out.

I guess drinking water will be supplied as well as removal of waste water , otherwise she would have to do some sailing and make her own potable water .

I’ll keep you posted!

[MAVIP]

17 minutes ago, rotjeknor said:

I know that the Port Authorities of Rotterdam have recently started a study at 4 locations , including the cruise terminal, to determine what is needed for shorepower for seagoing vessels . Results expected in 2023. There are shorepower and water facilities for river cargoships as they usually are at the piers longer waiting for freight.

 I will go the Merwehaven, where the Volendam is docked, in the coming weeks and see what I can find out.

I guess drinking water will be supplied as well as removal of waste water , otherwise she would have to do some sailing and make her own potable water .

I’ll keep you posted!

Thanks rotjeknor. In another thread the same question which I tried to answer. I expressed the hope that someone more knowledgable than I am had a correct answer. 

Lenny

[shipgeeks]

I am bumping this up, as I notice that it contains answers to some of the questions in the other, 4-page post about Volendam.

[chengkp75]

23 hours ago, rotjeknor said:

I know that the Port Authorities of Rotterdam have recently started a study at 4 locations , including the cruise terminal, to determine what is needed for shorepower for seagoing vessels . Results expected in 2023. There are shorepower and water facilities for river cargoships as they usually are at the piers longer waiting for freight.

 I will go the Merwehaven, where the Volendam is docked, in the coming weeks and see what I can find out.

I guess drinking water will be supplied as well as removal of waste water , otherwise she would have to do some sailing and make her own potable water .

I’ll keep you posted!

Yes, while Rotterdam is studying shore power, they apparently are taking a cautious approach, as the infrastructure costs would lock out investment in other solutions like hydrogen, etc.  It appears from my brief review of their material that cruise ships will be the final stage of the implementation.  That is likely due to the amount of power, and the voltage, that cruise ships will need.  As the Volendam just came from shipyard, and given HAL's financial status in the covid era, and the fact that I don't think she has cruised on the US West Coast for years (can someone confirm), I seriously doubt that she has a shore power setup anyway, as these can run $1-2 million per ship.

 

Yes, they will connect to the town water supply, and typically, the ship can run a sewage hose to the municipal waste sewers.  Since the government is chartering the vessel, there would be no charge for these services.

[rotjeknor]

16 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

Yes, while Rotterdam is studying shore power, they apparently are taking a cautious approach, as the infrastructure costs would lock out investment in other solutions like hydrogen, etc.  It appears from my brief review of their material that cruise ships will be the final stage of the implementation.  That is likely due to the amount of power, and the voltage, that cruise ships will need.  As the Volendam just came from shipyard, and given HAL's financial status in the covid era, and the fact that I don't think she has cruised on the US West Coast for years (can someone confirm), I seriously doubt that she has a shore power setup anyway, as these can run $1-2 million per ship.

 

Yes, they will connect to the town water supply, and typically, the ship can run a sewage hose to the municipal waste sewers.  Since the government is chartering the vessel, there would be no charge for these services.

The Volendam has been on the US west coast, at least back in april 2017 when we sailed on her from Yokohama to Vancouver with several stops in Alaska. Or is Alaska not really considered the US westcoast ? 
A friend of mine, also a HAL affectionado, is pretty sure that the Volendam has no shore power hook up. The Volendam is docked in a scarcely populated area of town, so her emissions from the funnel will probably not be as bothersome as some ships are to inhabitants of the apartment buildings on the Wilhelminapier where the cruise terminal is located. 

[chengkp75]

Alaska does not require shore power,  like California does.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Thanks for sharing.

[rotjeknor]

It is clear she is not on shore power, saw some smoke and " heated air" coming out of the funnel. She is hooked up to a fresh water line. Not much movement onboard, saw some people walking on the lower prom deck and some people getting onboard with shopping bags.