Refugees begin to arrive to cruise ship docked in Leith

The first displaced people from Ukraine have begun to arrive to a cruise ship, docked in Leith in Edinburgh, which will become their temporary home.

Over 115 Ukrainian refugees a day on average have been arriving to Scotland, and more are expected this Summer.

That means 9,000 people are already here, and they need somewhere to stay, at least in the interim whilst finding somewhere more permanent.

The MS Victoria, which has been chartered until January next year by the Scottish Government, is said to provide people with fully staffed, safe and sustainable accommodation until they secure longer-term accommodation.

Guests will have access to appropriate support services onboard, including healthcare and benefits support. They will also have unrestricted access to shoreside support services says the Government.

Speaking about the latest arrivals, Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing & Local Government Shona Robison said:

“The success of the scheme can be seen in the fact that around 115 people arrived on average each day in the week to 19 July. With 9,000 displaced people with a Scottish sponsor already here, accommodating them all is always going to be a challenge.

“We’ve been working with partners such as Edinburgh City Council to make this ship a safe place for the displaced people and their families. A full risk assessment of the ship has been undertaken and all of the ship’s crew as a minimum have child and adult protection training.

“We do not want people spending more time in temporary accommodation, such as the ship, for any longer than is absolutely necessary. But we want to make them as comfortable as possible during their stay and we have worked with partners to provide a variety of services on-board for guests in addition to the support services available. These will include restaurants, child play facilities with toys and books, shops, laundry, cleaning, Wi-Fi access and communal spaces.

“The Scottish Government is still undertaking work to increase the capacity of the temporary accommodation and maximise the number of displaced people placed with volunteer hosts who have completed the necessary safeguarding checks.

“I am proud of the support that Scotland is providing the people from Ukraine and I want to thank everyone who has been involved from those helping to prepare the ship for use, those providing support services and to the people opening up their homes to provide Ukrainians with a warm Scottish welcome.”

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