Holland America Group News

Steve Nevey has been selected to serve as assistant secretary for the Washington State Ferries Division, the state's Secretary of Transportation Roger Millar announced on Thursday. Nevey will succeed Patty Rubstello, who is stepping down as head of WSF after more than 33 years of service with the Washington State Department of Transportation.A career mariner, Nevey progressed directly from high school to a maritime academy in the U.K. For the past two years he has served as director…

As the cruise industry rebounds from its COVID hiatus, more than 25 cruise lines, designers, outfitters and sustainable accreditation experts are scheduled to be sharing their expertise at this year’s Cruise Conversations Live, taking place at Cruise Ship Interiors Expo America June 7–8, 2022. Cruise Conversations Live’s official Conference Partner is Passenger Ship Interior & Refurbishment Review and the official sponsor is NEWH. The conference will give life to the conversations everyone is talking about in the cruise interiors industry…

A Dutch-flagged cruise ship will provide a temporary home to some 1,500 Ukrainians who fled their country in the wake of Russia's invasion.Holland America Line said its vessel Volendam will be used to accommodate Ukrainian refugees as part of an agreement announced by Netherlands and City of Rotterdam government officials. The ship will dock at Merwehaven, a cargo port on the north side of the River Maas in Rotterdam, for three months to provide a temporary home for approximately 1,500 Ukrainians, part of a larger commitment from the Netherlands to accommodate 50,000 people who fled the war in their homeland.“We are in a unique position to accommodate the immediate need for food and housing…

Carnival Corporation announced another set of moves within its global leadership team as part of the company's broader efforts to streamline operations and prepare the organization for the eventual resumption of cruising amid the coronavirus health crisis.Gus Antorcha, currently chief operations officer for the group's Carnival Cruise Line brand, has been named president of the company's Holland America Line, while Neil Palomba, currently president of the company's Italy-based Costa Cruises…

Carnival's luxury cruise brand Seabourn announced Thursday that Josh Leibowitz has been named president, effective immediately. He will report to Stein Kruse, group CEO of Holland America Group and Carnival UK.Leibowitz joined Carnival Corporation in 2013 as chief strategy officer and was also named senior vice president of Cunard North America in 2016. He previously served as managing partner of the Miami office of the consulting firm McKinsey & Co.He succeeds Rick Meadows, who retired at the end of May after 35 years with Carnival Corporation…

Terminal operating systems (TOS) solutions provider Tideworks Technology has entered into a joint venture with software applications and consulting services company Brenock Technology to deliver tech solutions aimed at helping the cruise industry rebound from the coronavirus pandemic.Cruise lines and marine terminals are facing unprecedented disruption during the COVID-19 pandemic, with widespread suspension of services and concerns about the safety of workers and cruise passengers.Through the new joint venture…

The Finnish technology major Wartsila will supply and install an Auto Gasification solution for the Regal Princess, enabling the safe disposal of waste from the ship through a self-fueling thermal decomposition unit, thereby significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions.The gasification unit on Princess Cruises’ vessel will reduce the ship’s waste to less than 5% of it is original volume, turning it into a sterilize inert material called Bio Char and a synthetic gas that will be recycled within the unit as fuel, said a press release.It will also lessen the requirement to offload waste at shore facilities. Princess Cruises is a Carnival Corporation & plc brand operating as part of the Holland America Group.

The biennial Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum will be held from May 28-29, 2019, at the Domotel Kastri Conference Center, in Athens’ northern suburbs. Here there will be more than 30 senior cruise executives responsible for ports and destinations from the world’s biggest cruise lines, including MSC Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Holland America Group, Disney Cruise Line, Silversea Cruises, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines and Celestyal Cruises among others.Elisabetta De Nardo, VP Port Development…

A subsidiary of Carnival Corporation has reached a deal to purchase port, railroad and retail operations that form a gateway to the Klondike Gold Rush region, in a major push into the Alaskan tourism industry.Carnival, the world’s largest cruise and leisure travel company, announced Thursday it has entered a purchase and sale agreement through its subsidiary Holland America Princess Alaska Tours to acquire TWC Enterprises Limited’s White Pass & Yukon Route (WP&YR) division, which includes port, railroad and retail operations in Skagway, Alaska.

Danish manufacturer of oil mist and gas leakage detection systems Daspos A/S has opened its new Daspos International, Inc. office in the greater Seattle area to service the maritime industry. Daspos manufactures and markets the patented LAS-10 oil mist and gas leakage detection system for surveillance and prevention of on-board fires through early discovery of either oil mist or gasses in primarily the open engine room. According to Daspos, two thirds of all on-board fires start in the engine room.

Majestic Princess, the third Royal Princess class cruise ship built by Fincantieri for ship owner Princess Cruises, was delivered at the Monfalcone shipyard in Italy. Princess Cruises, a Carnival Group brand, will deploy the new vessel on the Chinese market. The 145,000-gross-ton Majestic Princess is said to be the largest ship ever built in Italy, able to accommodate 4,250 passengers in 1,780 cabins and 1,350 crew members. The vessel flies the Bermuda flag and is the first ship which Fincantieri has specifically designed and built for the Chinese market…

Holland America Line celebrated a significant construction milestone today as the first steel was cut for ms Nieuw Statendam, due for delivery in November 2018. The ceremony took place at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Palermo, Sicily, Italy, and the block being built there will later be moved to the Marghera yard where the ship will be constructed. Holland America Group’s Executive Vice President of Fleet Operations Keith Taylor was at the yard for the event. The 99,500-ton ship — the 15th in the fleet — is the second Pinnacle Class vessel for Holland America Line, joining sister-ship ms Koningsdam that sailed its first cruise in April 2016. The steel cutting follows a period of design and development for the 2,650-guest ship that will feature enhanced Pinnacle Class amenities and innovations.

Following on a March 2015 agreement and a memorandum of agreement last December, Fincantieri, a leader in cruise ship design and construction, and Carnival Corporation & plc, the world’s largest cruise company, have finalized contracts for the construction of five next-generation passenger ships. The contracts finalized today envisage one further unit compared to the memorandum of agreement of December and mark the most important goal reached by the two groups in the last years, having a total value which exceeds 3 billion euros. Crucial, once more, for the finalization of the agreement, the supporting of the export credit system lead by Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (Cdp).

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has launched its first cruise ship destined for the Chinese market, and will now begin interior fittings ahead of the vessel’s delivery scheduled for spring 2017. The newbuild Majestic Princess is the third ship of the Royal Princess class built for the shipowner Princess Cruises, a brand of the Carnival Group. The vessel was launched at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Monfalcone at a ceremony attended for the shipowner by Keith Taylor, Executive Vice President of Fleet Operations of Holland America Group…

The keel laying ceremony of “Seabourn Encore”, the first of two ultra-luxury cruise ships that Fincantieri will build for Seabourn, brand of Carnival Corporation, was held today at the Marghera shipyard. The ceremony was attended, among others, by Mr Keith Taylor, Executive Vice President Fleet Operations Holland America Group, while Fincantieri was represented by Antonio Quintano,  Marghera’s yard manager. “Seabourn Encore”, due to join the Seabourn’s fleet at the end of 2016, will be built according to the standards and technical solutions that make Seabourn one of the most prestigious brands in the ultra-luxury segment and will continue the fleet’s modernization that began in 2009.

Justice Department Reaches Agreement with Carnival Corp. The U.S. Justice Department and Carnival Corp. have reached a comprehensive, landmark settlement agreement under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to advance equal access for individuals with disabilities who travel on cruise ships, the Justice Department announced Wednesday. The settlement agreement, which addresses accessibility on 62 ships among Carnival Corp. brands including Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line and Princess Cruises…

Holland America Line has promoted Gerald Mosslinger to vice president, food and beverage, as part of the renamed Guest Experience and Product Development Department that was formerly the Marine Hotel Operations Department. The cruise line made the departmental name change to better reflect the department’s core objectives and primary focus. As vice president, food and beverage, Mosslinger will oversee all of the culinary and dining service operations as well as manage all beverage operations for the Holland America Line fleet, including revenue activities, product innovation and service. He will report to Michael Smith, senior vice president…

Holland America Line announced today that effective Dec. 1 Orlando Ashford will join the company as president to lead the award-winning cruise line's brand and business, including its fleet of 15 premium vessels carrying approximately 850,000 guests annually to all seven continents. Ashford joins the company from Mercer, the global consulting leader in talent, health, retirement and investments, where he was president of the Talent Business Segment. “We are fortunate to have Orlando join our team, bringing with him a career's worth of global experience leading high-performance teams that helped innovate some of the most respected and well-known companies in the world,” said Stein Kruse, chief executive officer, Holland America Group.

Holland America Line hosted a luncheon for the Canuck Place Children’s Hospice aboard ms Volendam Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2014, at the port of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The event was attended by Victor De Bonis, chief operating officer of the Vancouver Canucks National League Hockey team, and John Garrett, sports commentator and former Canuck goaltender, who participated on a question-and-answer panel for attendees. Holland America Line has been a supporter of Canuck Place Children’s Hospice since 2005 through sponsorship of the annual Gift of Time Gala and shipboard luncheon events such as this one. After the luncheon, the 120 guests were invited to tour the ship.

Holland America Line’s ms Statendam and ms Westerdam achieved perfect scores of 100 on recent routine United States Public Health inspections conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The unannounced inspection for ms Statendam was held June 17, 2014, during a call at Ketchikan, Alaska. Westerdam was inspected July 21 during a call at Juneau, Alaska. Both ships were in the middle of sailing seven-day Alaska cruises. “Scoring a perfect 100 on a CDC inspection is a testament to the hard work, knowledge and dedication by both the shipboard staff and those involved in our corporate offices,” said Stein Kruse, chief executive officer, Holland America Group. During a U.S.P.H.

Holland America Line revealed the name of its new 99,500-ton cruise ship slated for delivery in February 2016 will be ms Koningsdam. While the name pays homage to the company’s rich heritage and deep roots in the Netherlands, it also reflects a new era with a bold name that is an original in Holland America Line’s 141-year history. Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard. Since 1883 every Holland America passenger vessel has borne the “dam” suffix, and ms Koningsdam carries on that tradition. The word koning means “king” in Dutch, and the name celebrates the majestic new ship. The name also pays honor to His Majesty King Willem-Alexander, the first king of the Netherlands in over a century. Holland America Line has a long, proud history with the Netherlands.

Alan Buckelew, currently the president and CEO of Princess Cruises, is being appointed to the newly created role of Chief Operations Officer of Carnival Corporation & plc effective December 1, 2013, reporting to President and CEO Arnold Donald. Buckelew will have oversight of all maritime and port operations around the world and our group collaborative functions, including information technology; group strategy and global operations; ship retrofits; newbuilds; research and development; risk advisory; and quality assurance.

Holland America Group CEO Stein Kruse presented a check for $25,000 to Seattle Children’s Hospital’s Uncompensated Care Fund Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014, at the Seattle Mariner’s home game at Safeco Field. The company made the donation as part of its partnership with the Seattle Mariners Major League Baseball team and their “K’s for Kids” program that debuted during the 2014 baseball season. With “K’s for Kids,” each strikeout (represented as a “K” on the score card) recorded by a Mariners pitcher at Safeco Field throughout the season earned a cash donation from the cruise line to Seattle Children’s. Kruse was joined on the field during…