Holland America Line’s new Rotterdam cruise ship has reached a major construction milestone at the Fincantieri Marghera shipyard in Italy.
Rotterdam Coin Ceremony
The traditional coin ceremony was celebrated today for Rotterdam, the third Pinnacle-class cruise ship currenty under construction. The ceremony took place at the Fincantieri MArghera shipyard in Italy.
Dutch coins minted in 1872 to honor Holland America Line’s first Rotterdam were welded to the outside deck of the ship to bring good fortune, followed by a blessing by the shipyard chaplain.
Gus Antorcha, president of Holland America Line, said:
“We are pleased to honor the coin ceremony tradition and celebrate this milestone that signals less than a year until Rotterdam‘s delivery.”
“With a name like Rotterdam, there is no other person more ideal than Mai Elmar to serve as the ship’s madrina. Mai’s name is synonymous with the cruise industry in the port city of Rotterdam and she has been a tremendous champion of our brand for decades. We’re thrilled to have her take on this special role.”
Mai Elmar, executive director of Cruise Port Rotterdam was the ship’s madrina and also part of the event. Also in attendance at the social distance ceremony was Antonio Quintano, director of the Fincantieri Marghera Shipyard; Cyril Tatar, Holland America Group’s vice president of newbuilding services; and Nico Bleichrodt, vice president, international sales, for Holland America Line.
The next major stage will when the Rotterdam is floated out onto the water for the very first time. This will take place on October 7 at the shipyard and will mark the start of fitting out all the interior spaces.
Also Read: Five Holland America Cruise Ships to Sail Europe in 2021
The ship is scheduled for delivery on July 30, 2021. Hopefully, by then the cruise industry will be in a better situation and guests will be able to enjoy the ship fully without any health measures in place.
Rotterdam is the sister ship to Koningsdam and Nieuw Statendam with a guest capacity of 2,668 and 99,800 gross tons.
Rendering Via: Holland America Line
