UK-based Ambassador Cruise Line has secured a six-month contract from the Scottish government to house Ukrainian refugees in Glasgow.
The charter of the 48,100-gt Ambition (built 1999) is set to begin in September.
Ambassador bought the 1750-passenger Ambition as AidaMIRA off Carnival Corp subsidiary Aida Cruises in January with the intention of putting it into service in March 2023.
The company, in a social media statement, described the move as a “joint arrangement with the Scottish Government” and said that it was “proud” to be supporting the Scottish resettlement program for the Ukraine population.
Following this initial period, the ship will head to a shipyard to undergo refurbishing before entering cruise service for the company, which TradeWinds understands from industry sources has been pushed back several months.
Cruise ships and ferries have been chartered by several European governments to house Ukrainian refugees since the country was invaded by Russia in February.
The Scottish Government is currently housing approximately 1,700 Ukrainians in Edinburgh on board Tallink’s 40,975 cruise ferry Victoria I (built 2004).
Neil Gray, Scotland’s minister with special responsibility for refugees from Ukraine, told media on Monday that the Victoria I has been “well received” by the Ukrainians living on board, and that chartering the Ambition would “further enhance our ability to provide safe and secure accommodation for those who need it”.
Ambassador was launched in May 2021 by former CMV chief executive Christian Verhounig and other former senior CMV executives, currently operates the 70,300-gt Ambience (built 1991) from UK ports.
