Coming from Stockholm, the latest newbuilding of Holland America Line’s fleet (HAL) arrived in the port of Kiel for its maiden call in the early Thursday morning (23rd May). During the on-board reception, the Managing Director of the PORT OF KIEL, Dr Dirk Claus, welcomed the ship’s Captain to the State Capital City of Schleswig Holstein and presented him with the handmade plaque for the vessel’s maiden call manufactured by the metal artist Patrick Schloßer. Dirk Claus: “Kiel has been an integral part of Holland America Line’s itineraries for the eleventh year in a row now. We are very proud that Kiel belongs to the ports where the latest newbuilding of the shipping company is showcased.” In addition to the vessel “Nieuw Statendam”, the cruise ship “Zuiderdam” will berth at the Ostseekai Terminal several times this summer. During the five different visits by Holland America Line a total of 12,000 international passengers are expected in port for going on day trips. The “Nieuw Stat-endam” is the fourth out of seven cruise ships that are visiting Kiel for the first time this sea-son. As it is its premiere in Kiel, the “Nieuw Statendam” will be accompanied by the water fountains of a harbor tug along the fjord up to the beacon in Friedrichsort when it will leave the port tonight.
The “Nieuw Statendam” in currently on an ongoing Baltic Cruise of 14 days which began in Amsterdam on 12th May. Before it arrived in Kiel, the ship paid visits to Copenhagen, Tallinn, St Petersburg, Helsinki and Stockholm. During their stay in Kiel, the passengers go on day trips throughout Northern Germany. Dirk Claus: “Kiel is a cosmopolitan city and extends a warm welcome to its international guests. The city has a lot to offer and is also the ideal start-ing point for excursions to Hamburg and throughout Schleswig-Holstein.” The portfolio of pos-sibilities ranges from guided tours along the Kiel Fjord over sightseeing tours to the UNESCO World Heritage in Lübeck up to very diverse theme excursions to the metropolis of Hamburg. There are also panoramic trips to the seaside resort in Laboe or to Holstein Switzerland. When all the passengers are back onboard in the afternoon, the “Nieuw Statendam” will head for Aarhus in Denmark at about 5 p.m. The Baltic Cruise will be concluded in Amsterdam on 26th May. The “Nieuw Statendam” measures 99,500 GT while it is 300 m long and offers enough space for 2,650 passengers. The vessel was taken into operation by the Holland America Line shipping company on 5th December 2018.