Holland America Start Work On Their Biggest Ship

Holland America have started work on their biggest ship to date with the ceremonial steel-cutting occasion for their as-yet unnamed new-build that will launch in February 2016.

The event was held at Italian ship-builder Fincantieri's Marghera shipyard (above), with the first steel being cut on Tuesday for the 99,500-ton Pinnacle-class vessel, under the gaze of Holland America Group chief executive Stein Kruse and yard director Antonio Quintano.

The ship is a completely new design and the largest for the line, following a four-year gap since Marghera handed over the Nieuw Amsterdam in 2010, and is the 15th ship Fincantieri has constructed for the Seattle-based line.

The newcomer will have 2,660 lower berths and be able to accommodate up to 3,152 passengers, with an overall length of 299.8 meters.

Holland America have cagily disclosed few details of their latest vessel but it boasts some
promising design concepts that have never been seen on their ships before.

The interior design team will be Adam Tihany and Bjørn Storbraaten. The latter, of prolific ship architects Yran & Storbraaten, worked on Nieuw Amsterdam and Eurodam while Tihany, a noted hotel and restaurant designer, made his first foray into cruise design with Celebrity Solstice, creating the two-level Grand Epernay dining room, the Tuscan Grille steak house and the casual Oceanview Café and Grill on the Lido Deck.

More info: visit www.hollandamerica.com.

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