HAL's Fourth Vista-Class Ship to be Named ms Noordam

Holland America Line has announced that the line's fourth Vista-class ship, scheduled for delivery in January 2006, will be named ms Noordam. The 1,848-passenger ship will be the fourth Holland America Line vessel to sail with the prestigious name. The first ms Noordam joined the Holland America Line fleet in 1902, sailing the Rotterdam-New York run until being damaged by a mine during World War I. In 1938 the Noordam name was then given to one of two new passenger-cargo ships, which offered exclusively first-class accommodations for 148 passengers. The current ms Noordam, delivered in 1984, has sailed on nearly 800 voyages and is widely considered to be one of the most beautifully decorated ships afloat. Holland America Line's 1,848-passenger Vista-class series of vessels, all built at the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera, Italy, are named for points of the compass. ms Zuiderdam ("south"-dam), debuted in December 2002; ms Oosterdam (east) launched in July 2003; ms Westerdam (west) is scheduled for delivery in April 2004. "It is fitting that our fourth Vista-class ship assume the historic Noordam name and legacy," said A. Kirk Lanterman, chairman and CEO of Holland America Line Inc. "These Vista-class vessels define the next generation of Holland America Line cruising, and the ms Noordam will feature all of the Signature of Excellence(tm) enhancements that will be added to our fleet over the next 24 months."