Meet the Chief Electrician

Chief Electrician
Ed van Weijen

As chief electrician of Eurodam, Ed van Weijen is responsible for all electrical systems on board, including the propulsion plant, automation plant, the 11-kilovolt main switchboards and the low-voltage distribution systems. He also looks after all electrical aspects for the hotel side, including the galley equipment and elevators, and he works with the information technology officer and broadcast technician on the shipboard broadcast and communication networks.

Van Weijen moved to the yard in June 2007 and essentially became the yard electrical project manager. Working hand-in-hand with Blog Board member Pieter Rijkaart and Eurodam Project Manager Henry Veringa, he is responsible for ordering all of the electrical components for the ship as well as overseeing the construction of the vessel, which includes the factory acceptance tests prior to delivery.

After a soccer injury side-lined the Netherlands native, he earned a degree in electronics and a degree in electrical installations. Soon thereafter he joined Holland America Line and has been with the company for more than 15 years. In addition to sailing on all of the different class vessels as chief electrician, he has been involved with a number of newbuilds, including Ryndam, Veendam, Volendam, Zaandam, Zuiderdam and Westerdam.

When not at sea or in the yard, van Weijen splits his time between the Netherlands and the United States, but spends most of his time in Big Sur, Calif., with his girlfriend, Mary.

He says he enjoys teaching soccer to the local kids, splitting fire wood and working on his house. He’s also involved with the Monterey Jazz Festival, the longest running jazz festival in North America.