Page 44: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (February 1998)

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Rotterdam

Shipyard: Fincantieri

Ship name: MS Rotterdam

Ship owner/operator: HAL

On December 9, 1997, during a ceremony in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.,

Princess Margriet Francisca of the

Netherlands dedicated Holland

America Line's (HAL) new flag- ship, — MS Rotterdam. At a cost of more than $280 million, the 781- ft. (237-m) long Rotterdam became

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HAL's ninth ship in its 125-yr. hii tory.

December 15th marke

Rotterdam's maiden 10-da,

Caribbean voyage. After which, i was scheduled to sail around th< world on a 97-day voyage, calling

Port Everglades home.

Rotterdam will be taking ovei as the sixth flagship of the HAL fleet due to the retiring of the fifth

Rotterdam in September 1997.

Fincantieri Shipyard specially designed Rotterdam in order to increase its power and speed, resulting in the liner's cruising speed of 25 knots.

To achieve this swift speed,

Rotterdam's hull was lengthened by 62 ft. (18.9 m) and widened to 106 ft. (32.3 m) — the maximum allowed to travel through the

Panama Canal. Rotterdam's hull is cambered inward, giving it the appearance of a somewhat older and classic vessel, and the new vessel features a three deck atri- um.

Additional features reminiscent of the earlier Rotterdam vessels include the side-by-side, twin smokestacks, which are a depar- ture of the fleet's now familiar sin- gle-stack adornment.

Rotterdam's engines have also been changed to achieve the heightened cruising speed. Its engine room contains five, 16- cylinder diesel engines.

Some of Rotterdam's amenities include a casino, spa, art gallery where works were commissioned exclusively for the cruise line and themed for Dutch exploration, an 800-seat dining room, many lounges and duty-free shops, as well as a 557-seat Queen's Lounge where shipboard entertainment is performed all day and night.

Rotterdam Main Particulars

Ship's registry The Netherlands

Classification Lloyd's Register

Launch date December 15,1997

Length, o.a 781 ft. (237 m)

Breadth, molded 105.6 ft. (32.2 m)

Breadth, maximum 111.6 ft. (34 m)

Draft, design 25.6 ft. (7.8 m)

Maximum air draft 165.1ft. (50.3 m)

Beam 105.8 ft. (34 m)

Top cruising speed 25 knots

Service speed 22.5 knots

Number of propellers (2)

Rudders (2) Flap type

Gross tonnage 62,000

Total passenger cabins 659

Passenger maximum 1,316

Crew cabins 358

Total crew 630 48 Circle 249 on Reader Service Card