Ocean Majesty (opvangschip, Velsen-Noord)
The Ocean Majesty is a former cruise ship moored at the VOB-kade in Velsen-Noord since 9 August 2023 and used by the COA as emergency reception for asylum seekers, with 300 places according to the COA. Men, women and children in the asylum procedure are housed on board. It replaced the much larger Silja Europa, which housed around 1,000 people at the same quay from September 2022 to 1 July 2023. A June 2025 report that the ship would leave Velsen that August was overtaken by an extension of the charter, and the administrative agreement with the municipality and the lease of the ship now run to 31 December 2026. The COA has asked Velsen to continue reception at the quay for two more years, with an option for a third if the planned long-term centre De Elta in Santpoort-Zuid is delayed, and plans a new tender for a reception ship for the next two to three years because the lease also ends then. The municipality expected the council to discuss the request on 17 and 24 September 2026.
Occupancy
300
people (Aug 2025)
Per night
€80
per person (benchmark)
Annual
€8.8m
estimated
Background
The site sits at VOB-kade, Velsen-Noord, Noord-Holland. It is run by the COA (Centraal Orgaan opvang asielzoekers), the Dutch government’s asylum-reception agency. For what the azc / noodopvang categories mean and how Dutch reception spending breaks down, open the cost panel on the interactive map with the Netherlands selected in Settings.
In the news
Aug 2023
New smaller reception ship arrives in Velsen-Noord
The COA brought in the Ocean Majesty for up to 300 asylum seekers, replacing the larger Silja Europa under an agreement running to the end of 2026.
NH Nieuws · source
Aug 2023
Ship for temporary reception of 300 refugees en route to Velsen-Noord
COA confirmed the vessel and the terms of the temporary mooring at the VOB-kade.
COA · source
Jun 2025
Ocean Majesty reportedly leaving Velsen in August
Cruise Industry News reported that the ship was expected to leave its berth in Velsen in early August 2025 because of the cost of the charter. The report was overtaken by the extension of the charter that followed.
Cruise Industry News · source
Aug 2025
Charter of the Ocean Majesty extended
Cruise Industry News reported a signed extension keeping the ship moored in Velsen until 1 July 2026, with an option to continue until 31 December 2026.
Cruise Industry News · source
Sep 2026
COA asks to continue reception at the quay for two more years
The municipality of Velsen says the administrative agreement and the lease of the Ocean Majesty end on 31 December 2026. The COA has asked to continue reception at the quay for two years, with an option for a third if De Elta in Santpoort-Zuid is delayed, and will start a new tender for a reception ship for the next two to three years; the council was expected to discuss the request on 17 and 24 September 2026.
Gemeente Velsen · source
Compiled from public Dutch news reports (each item links to its source). Where a municipality runs more than one reception location, attribution to this specific address reflects the cited report and may be approximate, always check the linked source.
Timeline
Aug 2023
Ocean Majesty arrives in Velsen-Noord
The smaller reception ship replaced the Silja Europa at the VOB-kade, with capacity for 300 people.
Jun 2025
Departure reported
Cruise Industry News reported that the ship would leave Velsen in early August 2025 because of the cost of the charter. It stayed.
Aug 2025
Charter extended
A signed extension kept the ship in Velsen until 1 July 2026, with an option to 31 December 2026, Cruise Industry News reported.
Sep 2026
Extension request before the council
The administrative agreement and the lease run to 31 December 2026. The COA has asked Velsen for two more years at the quay, and the council was expected to discuss the request on 17 and 24 September 2026.
Cost
Dutch asylum reception is funded by central government through the COA. At an illustrative benchmark of about €80 per person per night for a regular centre, the 300 people recorded here on 13 August 2025 imply roughly €8.8m per year. This is an order-of-magnitude figure for context only, not a site-specific invoice, emergency reception typically runs around three times the cost of a regular centre.
Sources
Gemeente Velsen / COA · 2023-2026. View source
Occupancy is the COA register snapshot of 13 August 2025 and may have changed since. Coordinates were geocoded from the published street address via the official PDOK Locatieserver.