Holland America Line Takes Delivery of Nieuw Statendam
Holland America Line took delivery of Nieuw Statendam on November 29, officially making it the 15th ship in the fleet. A hand-over ceremony took place at Fincantieri's shipyard in Marghera, Italy.
Following a transatlantic crossing from Civitavecchia, Italy, Nieuw Statendam will spend a full season in the Caribbean sailing roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale. Nieuw Statendam's official naming ceremony will take place in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on February 2. Oprah Winfrey has been named Godmother of the vessel.
The ship will head to its summer homeport of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in May and sail a series of northern Europe, Baltic and Iceland cruises before making her way to the Mediterranean in September for cruises out of Civitavecchia.
The 99,902-ton vessel accommodates 2,666 guests. While much of her design will be similar to Koningsdam, the first Pinnacle Class ship, Nieuw Statendam will have exclusive public spaces and her own style created by leading hospitality designer Adam D. Tihany and designer and architect Bjørn Storbraaten. The ship will feature interiors inspired by the fluid curves of musical instruments.
The ship's senior staff officers will bring a combined 80 years of company loyalty and experience: Captain Sybe de Boer, Staff Captain Kevin Beirnaert, Hotel Director Don Habets, Chief Engineer Eric van Loenen, and Environmental Officer Dolf Kramer.
Holland America Line is currently $300 million spending program on brand enhancements, and a third Pinnacle-class ship is due for delivery in 2021.