Rotterdam completes sea trials ahead of July delivery to Holland America Line

Holland America Line’s newest cruise ship MS Rotterdam has completed her sea trials and returned to the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera (Venice) ahead of her scheduled delivery in July this year.

Rotterdam left Marghera on April 25th and performed preliminary sea trials for two days before going into drydock at Fincantieri’s Trieste shipyard, where standard pre-delivery hull maintenance and painting were performed.

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On May 3rd, she left the shipyard again for a more extensive set of sea trials over the course of three days, during which rigorous performance tests were conducted on the ship’s systems, machinery and engines.

Captain Werner Timmers, Staff Captain Kevin Beirnaert, Acting Chief Engineer Stefan Dullaert and other members of Rotterdam’s senior bridge and engineering teams tested the ship’s maneuvering and safety systems in collaboration with the shipyard’s team of naval architects, engineers and builders.

On May 6th, Rotterdam returned to the shipyard in Marghera, and will now have the final touches done to her construction before she is officially handed over to Holland America Line.

The handover is expected to take place on July 30th, 2021.

“The successful completion of sea trials gives us great confidence as we head into the final weeks of outfitting for Rotterdam and prepare for delivery of this historic ship,” said Gus Antorcha, President of Holland America Line.

“Construction of Rotterdam has continued through the global challenges of the past year with Fincantieri maintaining the highest level of dedication to staying on schedule. Congratulations to everyone involved for completing this significant milestone,” he added.

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Rotterdam will be the fourth ship to carry the name for Holland America Line. The 148-year-old company’s first purpose-built ship in 1872 was called Rotterdam, as was its celebrated 1958 ocean liner SS Rotterdam and its more recent former flagship MS Rotterdam, launched in 1997 and sold to Fred Olsen Cruise Line last year.

The new 2021 MS Rotterdam will be the third in the cruise line’s new Pinnacle-class group of ships, headed up by MS Koningsdam and Nieuw Statendam. The Pinnacle class are the largest ships to be built for Holland-America Line.

Holland America Line has not released any details about Rotterdam thus far, but it is expected to be nearly identical to its sister ships with on-board features such as a Music Walk with a B.B.King’s Blues Club, Rolling Stone Rock Room, Billboard Onboard and Lincoln Center Stage.

Restaurants onboard will likely include French brassiere Rudi’s Sel De Mer, the line’s signature steakhouse Pinnacle Grill and Italian eatery Canaletto.

Bars and cafes will include Blend, a wine-blending class created in partnership with Chateau Ste. Michelle, along with two dozen other venues, and up top she’ll likely have two pools, two hot tubs, an outdoor sun deck with a retractable roof and an open-air cinema.

The Retreat, an extra-fee alfresco lounge deck, debuted on Pinnacle-class ships and will probably be expanded or offer new services aboard Rotterdam.