Construction has officially started on Nieuw Statendam, a new cruise ship being built for Holland America Line. The first piece of steel was cut at the shipyard which is the first major milestone when building cruise ships.
A ceremony was held at the Fincantieri shipyard in Palermo, Italy. Shipyard and cruise line executives attended the event where a 3,900 ton part of the future vessel began to take shape. The large section will be transported to Fincantieri’s Marghera facility where the Nieuw Statendam will start to take shape.
Orlando Ashford, Holland America Line’s president said:
“This is an exciting time for Holland America Line, and Nieuw Statendam’s steel cutting is a milestone that signifies our continued growth and evolution as a company and a brand. With Pinnacle Class we have been able to try new things, expand our horizons and push boundaries, and while Nieuw Statendam is a sister to Koningsdam, we do have some new ideas that will be revealed in time.”
Nieuw Statendam is the second Pinnacle class ship for Holland America Line. The first ship in the class was Koningsdam which entered service this year. The cruise line revealed Nieuw Statendams name two months ago but there are still more details about the ship to come.
Nieuw Statendam will be entering service in November 2018. Once completed she will be 99,500 gross tons and carry 2,650 passengers in 1,300 cabins.
