Nieuw Statendam, which Fincantieri is building for Holland America Line, part of Carnival Corporation & plc, has been launched tat the Marghera (Venice) shipyard. The fitting-out phase can now begin, ending in autumn 2018 with the handing over of the ship, the shipbuilder said in a statement.

The event was introduced by the traditional and well-wishing “coin ceremony”, consisting, according to an ancient shipbuilding custom, in welding a silver dollar on the last deck of the ship. Madrina of the ceremony was Anne Marie Bartels, a member of Holland America Line’s elite President’s Club loyalty program, who first sailed across the Atlantic from Rotterdam to New York as a young woman.

The ceremony was attended, among others, by Keith Taylor, Executive Vice President for Fleet Operations for Holland America Group, on behalf of the ship-owner and Antonio Quintano, shipyard director, on behalf of Fincantieri.

The new vessel, the 16th ship built by Fincantieri for Holland America Line and the second Pinnacle class ship after Koningsdam, delivered in 2016 from the same shipyard, will be about 99,500 gross tons, almost 300 meters long, with accommodation for up to 2,660 passengers on board in more than 1,300 cabins. She will be characterized by a contemporary style which blends perfectly with the traditional elegance, which distinguishes all the ships in the fleet. The design will be created, as for Koningsdam, by the designer Adam D. Tihany and the designer and architect Bjorn Storbraaten, with “the architecture of music” being an inspirational element for the design of many public areas.