Senior Staff Officers Bring a Combined 80 Years of Service to Holland America Line’s Newbuild Nieuw Statendam
Captain, hotel director, staff captain, chief engineer and environmental officer revealed
Seattle,
Wash., Sept. 25, 2018 — When Holland America
Line's Nieuw Statendam sets
sail in December 2018, the ship's senior staff officers will bring a combined
80 years of company loyalty and experience. The cruise line announced that
Captain Sybe de Boer, Staff Captain Kevin Beirnaert, Hotel Director Don Habets,
Chief Engineer Eric van Loenen, and Environmental Officer Dolf Kramer will lead
Nieuw Statendam's
shipboard teams.
The 99,500-ton ship currently is under construction at Fincantieri's shipyard
at Marghera, Italy. During its inaugural year, Nieuw Statendam will explore the
Caribbean in winter and then move to northern Europe, Iceland and the
Mediterranean in summer.
"A company like Holland America Line, with 145 years of history, has a
tremendous breadth of experienced officers and staff to ensure a successful
launch of a newbuild, and we're thrilled to have Captain de Boer, Don, Eric,
Kevin and Dolf leading Nieuw
Statendam's shipboard teams," said Orlando Ashford, Holland America
Line's president. "Not only have these skilled leaders been dedicated Holland
America Line team members for decades, they have demonstrated an exceptional
commitment to our guests, and I'm confident they will set the standards on Nieuw Statendam to
deliver the service and quality we are renowned for."
Meet Captain Sybe de
Boer
Captain Sybe de Boer will be in command when Holland America Line's Nieuw Statendam sets
sail in December 2018. Having been with the company since 1994 when he joined
the former Nieuw
Amsterdam, de Boer rose through the ranks from second officer to
captain. He has been master of Statendam, Zaandam, Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Eurodam,
and served on Maasdam,
Ryndam, Noordam, Nieuw Amsterdam and Koningsdam.
For the past three years he represented Holland America Line as a Fleet Captain
at Maritime Quality Assurance, Carnival Corporation Plc. In this role he
advanced the Bridge Resource Management policies and procedures across the
Carnival Corporation brands.
Hailing from the Netherlands Captain de Boer resides in The Hague. He enjoys
going to concerts, visiting museums, flying light aircraft (he holds a
commercial pilot's license), sailing, photography and bicycling. He graduated
from the Maritime Institute Willem Barentsz in Terschelling, the Netherlands,
with a Bachelor of Science degree in Navigation.
Meet Hotel Director
Don Habets
Since joining Holland America Line in 2002, Hotel Director Don Habets has
sailed on all of the company's ships, including the former Ryndam and Statendam, His first
ship was Maasdam,
and most recently he served on board Koningsdam.
Habets began as an assistant maître d' and worked his way up to hotel director
through various hotel department positions.
A native of the Netherlands, Habets graduated from the Hoge Hotel School in
Maastricht, the Netherlands, with a bachelor's degree in hospitality
management. He enjoys life and everything it brings, as well as making Holland
America Line guests and crew happy.
Meet Staff Captain
Kevin Beirnaert
Nieuw Statendam's
Staff Captain Kevin Beirnaert joined Holland America Line in 2006 and worked on
Rotterdam, Eurodam, Nieuw Amsterdam and Koningsdam. He was
also a member of the senior team to introduce Koningsdam.
Hailing from Gent, Belgium, Beirnaert studied at the Hogere Zeevaart school in
Antwerp, Belgium, and worked for freight company Ecuadorian Line and on
dredging ships in Dubai, U.A.E., on the Palm Jumeirah Project before joining
Holland America Line. He resides in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Meet Chief Engineer
Eric van Loenen
Chief Engineer Eric van Loenen joined Holland America Line in 2002 as a second
engineer after working on container ships, cargo ships and chemical parcel
tankers. He began his career with Holland America Line on Amsterdam and has
served on several ships, including Maasdam,
Ryndam, Volendam, Zaandam, Oosterdam, Zaandam and Zuiderdam.
Prior to being named to the Nieuw
Statendam team he was chief engineer on Koningsdam.
Van Loenen graduated from the Maritime Institute Willem Barentsz in
Terschelling. He and his wife live in Makkum, Friesland, in the Netherlands
with their three children.
Meet Environmental
Officer Dolf Kramer
Dutch native Dolf Kramer went to Nautical College in Den Helder, the
Netherlands, and studied to be a shipboard engineer. Prior to joining Holland
America Line in 2004 he worked on cargo ships and in a steel factory.
Kramer came to work for Holland America Line as an environmental officer, and
he has worked on all classes of ships except Pinnacle Class. He has served on Statendam, Ryndam, Maasdam, Rotterdam, Volendam, Zaandam, Amsterdam, Prinsendam, Zuiderdam, Oosterdam, Westerdam, Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam.
Launching Nieuw
Statendam — the second Pinnacle Class ship — will round out his
class experience.
When he's not on board, Kramer lives in Aruba with his wife where he spends
time riding his Harley Davidson and working to restore his classic 1957
Chevrolet.
About Nieuw Statendam
Due for delivery Dec. 1, 2018, Nieuw
Statendam currently is under construction at Fincantieri's Marghera
shipyard in Italy. The 2,666-guest, 99,500-ton ship will reflect the ongoing
evolution of Holland America Line. From familiar elements that reflect a rich
heritage and classic style to state-of-the-art enhancements that chart a bold
new course forward, guests on board Nieuw
Statendam will delight in details that are artfully inspired and
perfectly presented to create the ultimate cruise experience.
While much of the ship's design will be similar to Koningsdam, the first Pinnacle Class
ship, Nieuw Statendam
will have exclusive public spaces and its own style, created by leading
hospitality designer Adam D. Tihany and designer and architect Bjørn
Storbraaten. The ship will feature all of the hallmarks of Pinnacle-Class
design: grand, light-filled spaces; visual drama; and sumptuous interiors
inspired by the fluid curves of musical instruments.
Holland America Line's first ship to be called Statendam sailed in 1898, and this will
be the sixth ship in the company's history to carry the name. In combining the
Dutch word for "new" with the classic "Statendam," Holland
America Line celebrates the company's past, present and future.
For more information, contact a travel professional, call 1-877-SAIL-HAL (1-877-724-5425)
or visit hollandamerica.com.
Editor's Note:
Photos are available here: https://www.cruiseimagelibrary.com/c/tsl03nrb.
— # # # —
Find Holland America Line on Twitter,
Facebook and the Holland America Blog. Access all social
media outlets via the home page at hollandamerica.com.
About
Holland America Line [a division of Carnival Corporation and plc (NYSE:
CCL and CUK)]
Holland
America Line's fleet of 14 ships offers more than 500 cruises to more than 400
ports in 98 countries, territories or dependencies around the world. From
shorter getaways to 113-day itineraries, the company's cruises visit all seven
continents, with highlights including Antarctica explorations, South America
circumnavigations, Cuba cruises and exotic Australia/New Zealand and Asia
voyages; four annual Grand Voyages; and popular sailings to the Caribbean,
Alaska, Mexico, Canada and New England, Europe and the Panama Canal. The line
welcomed Koningsdam
in 2016 and has a second Pinnacle-class ship,
Nieuw Statendam, to
be delivered in December 2018. A third Pinnacle-class ship will be delivered in
2021.
The company is undergoing $300 million in brand enhancements to secure its
position as the leader in premium cruising. Fleetwide, the ships feature
innovative initiatives and a diverse range of enriching experiences focused on
destination immersion and personalized travel. Guests can expand their
knowledge through an exclusive partnership with O, The Oprah Magazine; during
an America's Test Kitchen show; at Explorations Café presented by The New York
Times; and by taking a Digital Workshop powered by Windows. Outstanding
entertainment fills each evening at venues including Lincoln Center Stage,
Billboard Onboard and B.B. King's Blues Club. The dining experience can be
savored at a variety of restaurants with menus that feature selections from
Holland America Line's esteemed Culinary Council, comprising world-famous chefs
who design dishes exclusively for our guests.
CONTACT: Sally Andrews PHONE: 800-637-5029 EMAIL:
pr@hollandamerica.com