The First to Greet Eurodam at Rotterdam

When Eurodam sails into Rotterdam, Piet Sinke will be one of the first persons who “meet” the ship. Piet lives at the Berghaven, the small port of Hook of Holland right at the mouth of the river Nieuwe Waterweg. If possible, Piet will board either a pilot tender or the lifeboat stationed at the Berghaven, just opposite the front door of his nice home.

Piet Sinke stands in front of his house at the Berghaven in Hook of Holland.

Piet is founder and editor of a dedicated maritime newsletter. His “Daily Collection of Maritime Press Clippings” is, as the name explains, a compilation of daily maritime news collected on the Internet with contributions of many correspondents who send over a hundred photographs a day to Hook of Holland by e-mail. Daily, over 4,200 copies of the news clippings are send all over the world.

Before running his own “newspaper” Piet worked as salvage master for the famous Dutch salvage company Smit. For instance, he was involved in the salvage of the Russian nuclear submarine Kursk.

Knowing Piet, he will make a special edition about Eurodam. He is already looking forward to it.

“I love to see the new ship,” he said. “I hope to have a chance to look around.’’

Piet is a little bit worried about Sunday, June 29, the day that Eurodam will sail into Rotterdam for the first time. Normally, cruise ships enter the port of Rotterdam very early in the morning, when most people are still sleeping. This time, however, Eurodam will enter the port at about 8 a.m. Although eight o’clock is still early for a Sunday morning, a huge crowd is expected at the most western place of the Netherlands.

“I hope that it will not be that crowded that I cannot leave my own house,” said Piet.

His worries are not imaginary. A couple of years ago, when Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 arrived for the first time in Rotterdam, it was chaos in Hook of Holland, both in the morning and the evening when the ship left the port. Hook of Holland is only a small town, which can by reached by car over a single route. When thousands of people come to “the Hook,” a traffic jam occurs.

Piet Sinke says Holland America Line can expect crowds like this to line shore when Eurodam enters and leaves the Port of Rotterdam.

Afterward it was estimated that the visit of QM2 attracted more than 750,000 people, all the way from Hook of Holland to the city center and the other way around when the ship left port.

You have been warned!