Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri on has delivered a new cruise ship 'Rotterdam' to the cruise line Holland America Line, part of Carnival Corporation.
This is Holland America Line's eleventh ship in the fleet. A handover ceremony took place at Fincantieri's Marghera shipyard in Italy on the evening of July 29.
As the third vessel in the Pinnacle Class series and the seventh ship to bear the name for Holland America Line, Rotterdam will carry 2,668 guests in 1,340 cabins.
The new cruise ship, is a sister ship of “Koningsdam” and “Nieuw Statendam”, the “Pinnacle” class ships delivered respectively in 2016 and 2018 from the same shipyard, is the fourteenth ship built for this brand by the Marghera shipyard.
It is about 99,800 gross tons and almost 300 meters long. The vessel was designed by Tihany Design and Yran & Storbraaten.
Sea trials in May - Credit: Holland America Line
Previous Rotterdams
Holland America Line's first ship was Rotterdam, which sailed its maiden voyage from the Netherlands to New York on Oct. 15, 1872, and led to the founding of the company on April 18, 1873. Rotterdam II was built in 1878 for British Ship Owners Co. and purchased by Holland America Line in 1886. Rotterdam III came along in 1897 and was with the company until 1906. The fourth Rotterdam joined the fleet in 1908 and also served as a troop carrier when World War I ended. Following the war, it made regular cruises from New York to the Mediterranean.
Rotterdam V, also known as "The Grande Dame," set sail in 1959 and began sailing transatlantic crossings with two classes of service. It later converted to a one-class ship in 1969. She sailed with Holland America Line for 38 years until 1997, including several Grand World Voyages, and currently is a hotel and museum in the city of Rotterdam. Rotterdam VI, the most recent to cruise for Holland America Line, was introduced in 1997 as the first ship in the R Class.
Rotterdam VII is the 17th ship built for the brand by Italian shipyard Fincantieri.
