By
Rebecca Gibson |
Holland America Line’s Nieuw Statendam is set to embark on her maiden cruise on 5 December 2018, just six days after being delivered by shipbuilder Fincantieri in Marghera, Italy.
Nieuw Statendam, which is the line’s 15th ship and the second in its Pinnacle Class, was delivered to Holland America executives by Fincantieri CEO Giuseppe Bono during a ceremony on 29 November. Attendees included Orlando Ashford, president of Holland America; Stein Kruse, CEO of Holland America Group and Carnival UK; Micky Arison, chairman of Holland America’s parent company Carnival Corporation; and Arnold Donald, president and CEO of Carnival Corporation.
“Today the Holland America Line family celebrates the addition of Nieuw Statendam to our fleet, and it’s a proud moment for everyone involved,” said Ashford during the ceremony. “Thank you to our partners at Fincantieri and our own team members who worked diligently to deliver the ship looking more stunning than we imagined. Nieuw Statendam represents our continued evolution of adding exciting new experiences, while maintaining the hallmarks that have made Holland America Line a leader in premium cruising.”
Following her delivery, the 2,666-guest Nieuw Statendam set sail for Venice, Italy and then Rome, where she will welcome her first-ever guests for a transatlantic crossing to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The vessel will then spend a full season offering Caribbean roundtrips from the port, which will also host her christening on 2 February 2019.
Nieuw Statendam will return to Europe next May and sail a series of northern Europe, Baltic and Iceland cruises from Amsterdam, Netherlands. The ship will then reposition to Rome in September to operate Mediterranean itineraries.