Noordam News

Singapore-based Seatrium has secured a series of major contracts for vessel repairs, upgrades and conversions, set for completion by the end of 2025.With an aggregate value of S$350 million ($259 million), the contracts have reinforced Seatrium’s reputation as a one of the market leaders in vessel repairs, upgrades and conversions.The diverse range of complex contracts secured by Seatrium Repairs and Upgrades include the upgrades and conversions of Floating Storage Regasification Units (FSRU)…

The SMS Group has completed two pieces of major interior outfit work for Holland America Line in the Caribbean and Canada.This division is led by industry veteran Dan Lockyer. In respect to the recent wins Dan said: “We completed these first two, major projects, on time and on budget. “The Noordam refit, undertaken in the Seaspan yard in Victoria, Canada, We had over 20 men onsite, with two project managers, and completed works in 742 cabins. “The Volendam was similar, although a slightly smaller project. The works were undertaken in Freeport, Grand Bahamas.

Two major bridge refit contracts have been completed by Radio Holland USA on Holland America Line’s cruise ships Oosterdam and Prinsendam. The bridge refit on board the M/S Oosterdam was concluded in Palermo, Sicily in early May. Then just days later Radio Holland continued with a bridge upgrade project for the M/S Prinsendam, which took place in Freeport, Grand Bahama. The latest refits follow refit work on M/S Noordam and Westerdam in 2014 and 2015. Rob van den Hof, Nautical Superintendent of Technical Operations from Holland America Line…

As part of a $300-million brand enhancement initiative, Carnival Corporation’s Holland America Line is planning enhancements to its top staterooms with new furnishings, décor, amenities and upgrades for all suites on the line’s Signature-, Vista- and R-Class ships. The first ships to undergo the suite transformation will be ms Eurodam and ms Oosterdam, followed by ms Nieuw Amsterdam, ms Westerdam, ms Zuiderdam and ms Noordam. Additionally, ms Amsterdam, ms Rotterdam, ms Volendam…

Holland America Line’s cruise ship MS Noordam recently underwent a 10-day dry-dock period, during which it was fit with a customized bridge from Radio Holland. The work on Netherlands-flagged MS Noordam included refitting the navigation and bridge systems to improve working conditions in line with HAL’s Bridge Resource Management concept. Radio Holland, a supplier, installer and maintainer of maritime electronics, also provided additional equipment including an upgrade of the autopilot interface with the propulsion systems to deliver fuel savings.

The extensive global network of Furuno service centers, subsidiaries and distributors was one of the reasons that Holland America Line (HAL) chose Furuno when it was time to retrofit their cruise ships with the very latest in a fully integrated navigation system. After considerable research in cruise ship navigation electronics, HAL selected the Furuno bridge solution and engaged Radio Holland to procure and install the equipment, starting with their first ship, the MS Westerdam. The large bridge features an impressive list of equipment including four Chart Radars (two X-Band and two S-Band), two ECDIS charting systems with Conning displays, an Autopilot, two IMO DGPS receivers, two AIS transmitters, a Track Control System to drive the Azipods and three Remote Sensor Displays.

While in the vicinity of Jaw Point at Glacier Bay, Alaska, Holland America Line’s ms Noordam assisted 41 persons on a disabled sightseeing boat Wednesday, June 10. Noordam responded to a call for aid at approximately 12:35 p.m. local time to assist the 79-foot sightseeing vessel Baranof Wind, which was experiencing mechanical troubles near Johns Hopkins Glacier. The ship lowered a tender, which collected 40 tourists and one Glacier Bay National Park ranger and returned to Noordam. “We are proud of the proficient response Captain van Donselaar and his team executed in assisting the passengers of Baranof Wind,” said Orlando Ashford, president of Holland America Line.

On recent routine United States Public Health inspections (USPHI) conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Holland America Line’s ms Statendam, ms Nieuw Amsterdam and ms Ryndam achieved perfect scores of 100. For Statendam, the unannounced inspection was Feb. 19, 2015, at Hilo, Hawaii, during a 30-day Tahiti and Marquesas cruise roundtrip from San Diego. CDC officials surprised Nieuw Amsterdam, on March 1, 2015, at Fort Lauderdale, Florida, while preparing for its seven-day Caribbean cruise. Ryndam completed its inspection March 8 in Tampa, Florida, while also getting ready for a seven-day Caribbean cruise. Prior to these inspections, Statendam received a score of 100 in June 2014 during a call at Ketchikan, Alaska.

Travel Weekly magazine announced the recipients of its 2014 Magellan Awards, and Holland America Line received eight of the prestigious honors. The line won five gold awards in the categories Restaurant Design for Canaletto Small Plates, Television Commercial for “Breathtaking Meet Impeccable,” Blog for the Holland America Blog, Direct Mail for the 2014 Winter Mariner Magazine and Advertising/Marketing Campaign for Discover HAL’s Alaska. Three silver awards were bestowed on the line for Entertainment and the B.B. King’s Blues Club program, Direct Mail for the Holland America Line Cruise Atlas and Premium Ship for ms Noordam. “It is an honor to receive these awards in so many diverse categories from a highly regarded publication like Travel Weekly…

Travelers looking for an intimate, mid-sized cruise experience in the Caribbean have 126 itineraries to choose from during Holland America Line’s 2014-15 Caribbean season. well as partial transits of the Panama Canal. The diverse itineraries visit 30 ports and give discerning guests more options than any other premium line exploring the region. From October 2014 through April 2015, ms Eurodam, ms Maasdam, ms Nieuw Amsterdam, ms Noordam, ms Ryndam, ms Westerdam and ms Zuiderdam sail regular Caribbean voyages, while ms Amsterdam and ms Prinsendam each sail one December holiday cruise in the region. The ships feature 21 different seven-, 10-, 11- and 14-day itineraries that can be combined into longer Collectors’ Voyages ranging from 14 to 25 days.

Holland America Line was named the 2014 Marine Environmental Business of the Year by the Port of Seattle. Port commissioner Courtney Gregoire presented the award to Keith Taylor, senior vice president, fleet operations, at the Seattle Propeller Club’s Maritime Festival Lunch held Tuesday, May 13, 2014, aboard Carnival Miracle, which was docked at Port of Seattle. The cruise line was recognized for its efforts to reduce its global environmental footprint through a series of objectives that greatly reduce consumption of fuel and water, engine emissions and generation of solid waste, along with increasing recycling across its fleet of 15 ships.

Holland America Line commissioned Imtech Marine USA to refit the bridges of three Holland America Line cruise ships – ms Westerdam, ms Noordam, and ms Oosterdam. The equipment consists of FCR-28x9 X-band radars, FAR-2837 S-band radars, FMD 3300 ECDIS, FAP 2000/3000 Track control and GP150D GPS systems, all Furuno equipment. Imtech Marine represents Furuno in the United States. Holland America Line has partnered with Imtech Marine on this series of refits to provide engineering, installation, training, and service through Imtech’s worldwide service network.

One of the original creators of podded propulsion solutions -- a technology routinely featured on the world's largest cruise ships -- for the maritime market announced another breakthrough which improves efficiency further. ABB reports that recent modifications to its Azipod propulsion unit frame design have seen hydrodynamic efficiency improved by more than two percent. The modifications include a newly optimized Azipod fin shape and a new pod cap structure, called Xtail. The revised fin structure receives water flow from the propeller at a new…

Continuous effort to improve Azipod energy efficiency. ABB, a power and automation technology group, has announced that recent modifications to its Azipod propulsion unit fr ame design have seen hydrodynamic efficiency improved by more than two percent. The modifications include a newly optimized Azipod fin shape and a new pod cap structure, called Xtail. The revised fin structure receives water flow from the propeller at a new, less acute angle, and its new curved design redirects the flow more efficiently.

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.

GE announced that its fleet of 25 aeroderivative marine gas turbines has accumulated more than 320,000 hours operating aboard 16 cruise ships. GE remains the only gas turbine manufacturer to have its engines in service on cruise ships, the company reported today at the Seatrade Cruise Shipping Convention. "We are setting a new reliability standard in the cruise industry for propulsion and onboard power," said Karl Matson, general manager of GE Transportation's marine business, Evendale, Ohio. The GE gas turbines now in service are configured in two different types of arrangements: 16 LM2500+ gas turbines are the basis for a COmbined Gas turbine and steam turbine integrated Electric drive System (COGES) used aboard four Celebrity Cruises and four Royal Caribbean International cruise ships…

Marine announced that Holland America Line’s (HAL) Noordam cruise ship recently began operating powered by one LM2500 gas turbine-generator set in a COmbined Diesel And Gas turbine (CODAG) configuration. This brings the total to 17 cruise ships powered by GE gas turbines, the company reported at the Seatrade Cruise Shipping Conference. The Noordam’s maiden voyage was on February 22, 2006. Routes include destinations in the eastern Caribbean and Europe. The 950-foot long ship can carry 1,918 passengers and a crew of 800, with a maximum speed of 24 knots. The Noordam is the last of four ships in Holland American Line’s Vista class; the three other Vista-class ships – Zuiderdam, Oosterdam, and Westerdam – also are powered by GE LM2500 gas turbines in a CODAG configuration.

As it glided into port, Holland America Line’s newest cruise ship, the 1,848 passenger Noordam, made history when it arrived at the Caribbean’s newest port facility – the Grand Turk Cruise Center, British West Indies – on its inaugural call. After departing from New York City on Wednesday, the Noordam made a direct sailing for Grand Turk, marking the official opening of the new state-of-the-art, multi-million-dollar facility. The arrival of Grand Turk’s first cruise ship went very smoothly, to the full satisfaction of the cruise line’s management, port operators, and hundreds of cruise passengers. The new Grand Turk Cruise Center features…

The Steamship Historical Society of America presented the 2005 C. Bradford Mitchell Award to Carnival Corporation chairman Micky Arison during a ceremony aboard Holland America Line’s new cruise ship, the M/S Noordam on Feb. 21. The SSHSA C. Bradford Mitchell Award is to honor an individual, institution, or agency for a single achievement that contributes to the aims of the SSHSA; “To Record, Preserve and Disseminate the History of Engine Powered Vessels.” The award was presented by SSHSA president Robert Cleasby, and national director and awards chair Christopher Dougherty. Among the attendees were Holland America Line president Stein Kruse…

Holland America Line took delivery ms Noordam from Fincantieri-Cantieri Navali Italiani S.p.A. at a special ceremony in Venice, Italy. The Noordam will depart Venice on Friday, February 3, for her new homeport, New York City, where she will offer 10- and 11-day Caribbean cruises beginning with her maiden voyage on February 22, 2006. That same day, the official dedication ceremony will take place with Academy Award-winning actress Marlee Matlin serving as godmother. "The Noordam is the fourth and last of our popular Vista-class ships, which represent the four points of a compass,” states Stein Kruse, president and chief executive officer, Holland America Line.

In 2006, Holland America Line will debut the new ms Noordam, feature eight ships cruising Alaska, and complete its Signature of Excellence enhancements across the fleet. The 13 ships of the will offer nearly 500 sailings to all seven continents from more than 25 home ports. Itineraries range from two to 108 days and feature several maiden ports, and calls to the new Caribbean port of Grand Turk.