NCL reported in talks to charter cruise ship for New York migrant housing

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Norwegian Breakway, currently sailing from New York, is scheduled to spend the winter cruise season based at New Orleans
New York Mayor Eric Adams is reportedly finalizing a deal to charter a Norwegian Cruise Line ship to temporarily house migrants.

The New York Post said Adams seeks to lease Norwegian Breakaway for at least six months for housing and processing migrants before they enter New York City's shelter program. It would be docked at Staten Island.

NCL confirms talks about a potential charter

NCL confirmed it's been approached about a potential unspecified charter but said no agreement has been reached.

A cruise line spokesperson sent this statement to Seatrade Cruise News: 'The chartering of cruise ships to companies, government entities and other organizations for various uses is a standard business practice across our industry. While we can confirm that New York City has approached us about a potential charter of a cruise vessel, no agreement has been reached and we cannot speculate about the outcome of any ongoing business discussions.'

Norwegian Breakway

Norwegian Breakaway is currently scheduled to sail from New York in October and November before repositioning to New Orleans in late November for the winter season.

The 145,655gt ship has 3,959 lower berths and total capacity for 4,819 passengers.

Tallink ferry?

The Post also said the mayor's office was negotiating the possible use of a Tallink ferry, which previously housed Ukrainian refugees in Estonia.

In recent months thousands of Latin American migrants crossing the US southern border have been bused to cities including New York, which is now considering tents to house them since shelters are filling.