Cruise Ship To House Refugees

It has recently been announced that Sweden is contemplating using a cruise ship to accommodate asylum seekers.

My first thought when I read this was of great surprise to say the least. I knew the ship that they are intending to use as The Island Escape when she sailed under the umbrella of First Choice & TUI . She is now known as the Ocean Gala and has been used as a floating hotel since she left the TUI fleet at the end of October 2015.  She was never an award winner for the most luxurious cruise ship in service, but it’s certainly a big step up in luxury from the asylum centres I have seen. The guests may not get gala dinner nights, West End shows and enjoy cocktails on deck, but it’s got to be a nicer environment than most asylum seekers are put in.

The ship will be docked on the Baltic coast of Sweden in a place called Harnosand which is about 270 miles north of Stockholm and will cost around £65000 a day to maintain.

It’s estimated that the current influx of asylum seekers to Sweden is around 700 a week, but could climb to as many as 10,000 a week when the weather turns warmer.

Regardless of what your political views are about asylum seekers we can not escape the fact this is a problem in Europe on a massive scale and I have to say that Sweden are certainly thinking outside the box and trying to prepare for the influx of people fleeing war torn countries for a safer haven. Personally I see both sides of the argument. Not all countries can afford to accept the huge numbers of asylum seekers that are arriving on their shores one way or another.

What do you think of this idea? Good or bad? I’d love to hear your views.