Cruise season opens in Montreal

Rakesh Prasad, the captain of the cruise ship staff, cannot forget the look of shock on the faces of the hundreds of Ukrainians who boarded the Dutch American ship Volendam in April 2022.

Two months ago, 1,500 refugees who left their homeland after the Russian invasion and the war raging there boarded the ship with only a few belongings in plastic bags. The ship they boarded in the port of Rotterdam would be their home for the next six months.

“You looked at the children, you could feel how scared they were, there was no happiness,” Prasad said Saturday, standing next to Volendam's indoor pool after the ship docked in the port of Montreal.

Now bringing leisure travelers back to the ferry, Volendam was the first cruise ship to arrive in the city for the 2024 season. The Port Authority held a ceremony on the ship to mark the occasion, which included diplomats from Ukraine and the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

A few meters away from the pool area, at the entrance to the dining room, some of Volendam's crew hung a large frame with pictures of refugee children living on the ship in 2022. This art is now a permanent exhibit on the ship.

Ukraine's Honorary Consul in Montreal Yevgeny Tsoly toured the ship's wood-paneled interior, pointed to a picture frame, and said the refugees were “received in a very friendly manner.” He thanked the Dutch authorities for their help.

The presence of refugees on board the ship Volendam turned the ship into a Ukrainian village.

“Families gave free haircuts, old women took care of children,” Prasad said. “It became a community, and when it came time to leave, most wanted to stay.”

Volendam captain Rens Van Eerten said the Netherlands has a long history of helping refugees flee violence, including helping the country flee the Nazis during World War II.

He said that shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Dutch government asked Holland, the owner of the Volendam, to charter a ship to America.

“We had one available,” he said. “We took (refugees) in and took care of them and made sure they lived a relatively normal life at the time.”

But with the Netherlands ready to help in April 2022, the Royal Netherlands' honorary consul in Montreal lamented what he described as a sense of “Ukraine fatigue” in some Western countries.

When the war broke out, Michael Polak said everyone was “gun-ho to help Ukraine fight against Russian aggression.” But in the last six to 12 months, he said, “some allies have been questioning their commitment and not wanting to spend money, they've become a little reluctant.”

“But this war continues and will not be resolved,” he said.

United States President Joe Biden on April 24 approved $1 billion in military aid to Ukraine, the first part of a nearly $61 billion aid package. It also has air defense capabilities, artillery shells, armored personnel carriers and other weapons to support Ukrainian forces, which have seen their morale plummet as Russian President Vladimir Putin rolls victory after victory.

Tzoly said that the US aid package is very useful and that it will help Ukraine win the war. According to him, the only people who are “tired” of Ukraine are those who do not understand that the country “defends all of Europe” and not just its territorial integrity.

“If Ukraine, God forbid, loses this war,” he said, “we will witness the third world war.”

This Canadian Press report was first published on May 4, 2024.

— with Associated Press files.