The theater was converted into a kindergarten and the barbershop became a traditional Turkish barbershop. Today, children play on the spacious decks of the Gemini cruise ship, anchored off the coast of southern Turkey, hosting earthquake-affected families.

Today, families drink tea in comfortable armchairs while admiring the mountain peaks and the city of Alexandretta, which was badly damaged by the earthquake. “We are living in a strange dream. I never thought I would be on a luxury cruise ship with no destination,” says 30-year-old nurse Basak Atay.

The ship, which carried passengers from Turkey for cruises to the Greek islands, is currently taking in more than 1,000 earthquake survivors from the coastal city. More than 650,000 residents of Hatay province fled the area after the February 6 earthquake. Gemini passengers are among the lucky few left in the area.

The ship is one of at least five cruise ships taking in homeless people off the coast of Hatay. A Turkish Navy hospital ship moored near Gemini has been converted into a government hospital, allowing staff from the damaged local hospital to perform surgeries, including C-sections. Smaller ferries ferry earthquake refugees to Istanbul and Mersin, the latter with a 21% increase in population in just three weeks.

In December, the Turkish Energy Ministry chartered a Gemini to temporarily house 400 state oil company staff in the Black Sea. After the earthquake, the ship headed for the port of Alexandretta and was properly equipped to receive seismologists. Local authorities prioritized applications from people with disabilities, the elderly, pregnant women, and families with small children.

More than 1,000 earthquake victims from Alexandretta are housed on the Gemini passenger ship.

Like many other passengers, Atay said it was her first time on a cruise ship. Before ending up in Gemini, the Atay family of eight traveled through the “battlefield” of temporary shelters – cars, tents, hotels – while continuing to work as an emergency nurse in a private hospital twenty minutes from the port.

On deck 6, Ayse Atchigoz, 72, sat on a white bench and knitted woolen clothes for her 15 grandchildren, who continue to live in tents. Upstairs, in the Eclipse room, about ten people were watching a newscast almost entirely devoted to the earthquake. At the bow, a group of men were watching a friendly backgammon tournament.

At noon, Aegean Restaurant serves lentils, lamb liver and rice on plastic plates. The children gathered in front of the dessert display, focusing on fresh donuts. “The food is hot and different every day,” says 33-year-old Aishe Simsek, who spent nine days in her car with her two daughters, and the only food was dry soups donated by humanitarian organizations.

Gul Seker, 34, was preparing to give birth in a container at the port after her house collapsed. However, her neighbor advised her to apply for a cabin at the Gemini. A few hours later, Seker was on the ship with her husband and son. A few days later, her water broke. “I thought I was going to die. I suffer from hypertension. Fortunately, I was transferred to a local maternity hospital and I gave birth normally,” says Secker, who gave birth to a healthy baby girl. The baby was named after the Mirai shipping company.

On Deck 8, 34-year-old barber Yunus Kutuku practices his craft in the ship’s once-opulent salon. The second earthquake destroyed the barbershop where he had worked since the age of 14 in Alexandretta. In Gemini, Kutuku cuts the refugees’ hair for free. “I became famous on the ship. I am happy to be busy. As long as I have scissors, I will continue. I still have clients from my barbershop in the city. They come here, I cut them, and for a while they feel fine,” says the 34-year-old man.