In anticipation of the upcoming float-out of ms Nieuw Statendam, Holland America Line held the ship’s coin ceremony at Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard in Italy.
Following Italian shipbuilding tradition, Anne Marie Bartels, a member of Holland America Line’s esteemed President’s Club, served as the ship’s Madrina and participated in the festivities.
“The coin ceremony is one of the most time-honoured 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.”
Bartels first sailed with Holland America Line on the s.s. Nieuw Amsterdam from Rotterdam, the Netherlands, to New York, New York, when she was 21 years old.
She has since been on 79 Holland America Line cruises, including 12 Grand Voyages.
Bartels has more than 2,500 cruising days with the line, which gives her elite President’s Club status for guests with more than 2,500 days on board.
During the festivities a drydock gate was opened briefly and water touched Nieuw Statendam’s hull for the first time as is tradition during the coin ceremony.
On December 21st, 2017, the ship will be fully floated out and move to an outfitting pier.
Nieuw Statendam is the second Pinnacle Class ship for Holland America Line, joining ms Koningsdam, which launched in April 2016 from the same shipyard in Marghera.
A third Pinnacle Class ship will set sail for the cruise line in 2021.
The 99,500-ton ship will reflect the ongoing evolution of Holland America Line.
Holland America Line’s first ship to be called Statendam sailed in 1898, and this will be the sixth ship in the company’s history to carry the name.