Holland America Line said its next ship due in 2018 will be named Nieuw Statendam.
HAL officials made the disclosure at the Rotterdam christening ceremony of its latest ship, Koningsdam. Nieuw Statendam will be a sister ship to the 2,650-passenger Koningsdam.
Last year, the 1,258-passenger Statendam was transferred to the fleet of P&O Cruises Australia and renamed the Pacific Eden.
Five previous ships in HAL history have carried the Statendam name.
The chief executive of Carnival Corporation has backed his UK team to develop relations with the trade, but urged agents to speak out if they were unhappy with the cruise giant’s strategy.
Speaking at the 10th annual Clia conference in Southampton, Arnold Donald said he had “every confidence” in the Carnival UK team, who he said would “talk to the trade, listen and learn”.
His comments came after Carnival UK’s vice president for sales Alex White vowed to have “agents at the heart” of the P&O Cruises and Cunard business in the future, following a mixed history with the trade which included a swathe of commission cuts in 2011.
Donald said: “We have increased our team by 30% under the leadership of Alex White, we have our Cunard and P&O Cruises Partnership Team that we’ve implemented and we have our training academy which we are refining and revamping.
“You (the trade) told us that we were on the right track and we absolutely want to keep listening and figuring out how we can continue enhancing.
“I have every confidence in David Noyes, who leads Carnival UK, and Alex and his expanded team to make sure we have enough people contact (with the trade) and make sure we’re talking to you and listening and learning so we can deliver what you need to build your business and in turn build our business and I think we’re on the track.
“You tell us, and if we’re not we’ll correct it and make sure we get on the right track.”
By gross tonnage, she will be the largest ship within Carnival Cruise Lines’s fleet. The ship is under construction in the Fincantieri shipyard of Monfalcone (Gorizia) and will be expected to be delivered by April 2016.
The first steel for the ship was cut in late February 2014, and the keel was laid in October 2014.[9] The Carnival Vista Coin Ceremony/Float out was done in June 2015. [10]
Carnival Vista is the first Carnival cruise ship fitted with ABB Azipod propulsion units since the 2004-built Carnival Miracle.
| Tonnage: | 133,500 GT |
| Length: | 1,062 ft (324 m) |
| Beam: |
122 ft (37 m)
158 ft (48 m) at pool decks [7]
|
| Draught: | 27 ft (8.2 m) |
| Decks: | 15 |
| Propulsion: | Diesel-electric; Two ABB Azipod XO units |
| Speed: | 23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph) |
| Capacity: | 3,936 passengers (double occupancy) |
| Crew: | 1,450 |
| Name: | Carnival Vista[1][2] |
| Owner: | Carnival Corporation & plc |
| Operator: | Carnival Cruise Line |
| Port of registry: |  Panama |
| Route: | 8-13 Day European cruise from May 2016 – October 2016 |
| Ordered: | 2012 |
| Builder: | Fincantieri, Italy |
| Cost: | US$780 million |
| Way number: | 6242 |
| Laid down: | October 14, 2014 |
| Launched: | 25 June 2015 |
| Acquired: | April 28, 2016 |
| Maiden voyage: | May 1, 2016 |
| Identification: | IMO 9692569 |
| Status: | In Service |
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