First Steel Cut for Nieuw Statendam

The first steel was cut for Holland America Line’s Nieuw Statendam on Tuesday. The vessel is due for delivery in November 2018. 

The ceremony took place at Fincantieri's shipyard in Palermo, Sicily, Italy, and the 3,900 ton block being built there will later be moved to the Marghera yard where the ship will be constructed. 

The 99,500-ton ship - the 15th in the fleet - is the second Pinnacle Class vessel for Holland America Line, joining sister-ship Koningsdam that sailed its first cruise in April 2016. As its sister ship, Nieuw Statendam will be almost 300 meters long, with accommodation for up to 2,650 passengers on board in more than 1,300 cabins.

The first Statendam launched in 1898 and was 10,491 gross tons, and sailed until 1911. The second Statendam was built in the 1910s for Holland America Line but was sold to White Star Line as Justicia before it entered service. The next Statendam served the line from 1929 until 1940, when it was scrapped after a fire.

The fourth Statendam launched in 1957. On January 7, 1958, the ship departed on a 110-day World Cruise, the first for Holland America Line. Statendam remained in the fleet until 1982, when it was sold to Paquet Cruises. The fifth ship to carry the Statendam name launched in 1993 and served the line until 2015. It was then transferred to sister cruise line P&O Cruises Australia and sails as Pacific Eden.

"This is an exciting time for Holland America Line, and Nieuw Statendam's steel cutting is a milestone that signifies our continued growth and evolution as a company and a brand," said Orlando Ashford, Holland America Line's president. "With Pinnacle Class we have been able to try new things, expand our horizons and push boundaries, and while Nieuw Statendam is a sister to Koningsdam, we do have some new ideas that will be revealed in time."

This is the 16th ship built for Holland America Line by Italian shipyard Fincantieri.