By
Rebecca Gibson |
Holland America Line held a coin ceremony for its newbuild, Nieuw Statendam, at Fincantieri’s Marghera yard in Italy on 6 December.
Held to mark a construction milestone and bring good luck to the ship, the traditional coin ceremony was attended by Antonio Quintano, director of the Fincantieri Marghera Shipyard; Keith Taylor, executive vice president of fleet operations for Holland America Group; and Cyril Tatar, Holland America Group’s vice president of newbuilding services.
Anne Marie Bartels, a member of Holland America’s President’s Club who has sailed on 79 Holland America cruises, served as the ship’s madrina during the festivities and helped to weld a Dutch guilder to the ship’s forward mast. The coin was produced in 1898, the year Holland America’s first Statendam came into service.
Fincantieri also opened the dry dock gate briefly during the ceremony, allowing Nieuw Statendam’s hull to touch water for the first time. as the newbuild will be fully floated out and moved to an outfitting pier on 21 December. She will be officially delivered to Holland America in autumn 2018.
“The coin ceremony is one of the most time-honored traditions in the building of a ship, and having Anne Marie, one of our most valued guests, serve as Madrina makes the celebration all the more special,” said Orlando Ashford, president of Holland America Line. “Nieuw Statendam reflects the next generation in our brand evolution while maintaining the classic hallmarks we are known for. By placing an authentic Dutch guilder in the hull from the year our first ship named Statendam came into service is a meaningful way to build that bridge from our past to our future.”
Nieuw Statendam is the 16th ship Fincantieri has built for Holland America, and the line’s second Pinnacle Class ship. The first Pinnacle Class vessel, Koningsdam, launched in April 2016 from Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard and a third will debut in 2021.
Able to accommodate up to 2,660 guests in more than 1,300 cabins, the 99,500gt Nieuw Statendam will feature many of the same spaces and designs as Koningsdam. The ship will also have exclusive public spaces created by hospitality designer Adam D. Tihany and designer and architect Bjorn Storbraaten.
Nieuw Statendam is the sixth Holland America ship to feature the name ‘Statendam’ – the first set sail in 1898.
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