Firework Celebration Lights Up the Night

Holland America Line arranged a fireworks display in Rotterdam last night to celebrate the naming of Eurodam, and Andy Newman was there to photograph it.

Video Highlights of the Dedication Ceremony

Here are a few video highlights from the Eurodam dedication ceremony held today in Rotterdam. This was edited for news distribution, so it does not have high production values. We hope to produce a more polished highlights video soon, so stay tuned.

Eurodam’s Dedication a Memorable Event

For those who weren’t able to watch Eurodam’s dedication ceremony live on line, Andy Newman captured some special moments throughout the day.

Seating for the event was set to hold more than 2,000 guests. As you can see, Mother Nature delivered a glorious day with clear skies and plenty of sunshine.

Victoria Kruse, daughter of Holland America Line President & CEO Stein Kruse (far right), presents Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands with a bouquet of flowers.

Her Majesty Queen Beatrix rings Eurodam’s ship’s bell to signal the release of the champagne bottle to be broken against the side of the ship.

Her Majesty Queen Beatrix shakes hands with Stein Kruse after the bottle-breaking. You can see the rope that held the bottle and the champagne splattered on the side of the ship in the background.

Her Majesty Queen Beatrix leaves the stage following Eurodam’s naming ceremony with (from left) Micky Arison, chairman and CEO of Carnival Corporation & plc., Eurodam’s Captain Jeroen van Donselaar and Stein Kruse.

(From left) Micky and Madeleine Arison, Blog Correspondent Pam Kern van Donselaar, Her Majesty Queen Beatrix, Linda and Stein Kruse, and Captain van Donselaar.

Captain Jeroen van Donselaar gives Her Majesty Queen Beatrix a tour of the bridge while some of the ship’s officers watch in the background.

Micky Arison (right) sounds Eurodam’s whistle while touring the bridge with Her Majesty Queen Beatrix and Captain van Donselaar.

It’s Dedication Day!

Andy Newman sent us this photo of the stage setup.

Pam sent us this photo of the stadium setup.

Orchestra Rehearsal for Dedication Ceremony

Pam shot this short video of the orchestra rehearsing on the pierside stage as preparations continue for the dedication ceremony tomorrow.

Getting Ready for Tomorrow’s Festivities

Tomorrow is a big day, and everyone involved in the inaugural festivities wants to be sure it’s smooth sailing — from the setup to the bottle breaking.

Practice makes perfect. Chief Officer and Blog Board member Andre van Schoonhoven practiced breaking the bottle for the fourth time, according to Pam, and as you can see from the shattered glass and splattered liquid, it was a success. Andre has been practicing every chance he gets to make certain the rigging is correct, and all has gone well on each attempt. Pam snapped this photo just after impact.

The pier is buzzing with workers readying the area for the dedication ceremony.

No Valet Parking at Rotterdam

Because the Port of Rotterdam is one of the largest ports in the world, Rotterdam’s pilots are used to handling all kinds of vessels. For them, even bringing in world’s largest bulk carrier — the 1,122-foot-long Berge Stahl loaded with 365,000 tons (!) of iron ore, giving the vessel a draft of 23 meters (75.5 feet) — is a piece of cake.

Despite their broad experience, for Rotterdam pilots the Eurodam is a vessel in the extra-ordinary class. The pilots fought for the job of bringing in this brand new ship. It’s a special, high-profile job, and not just because the ship sails all the way in to the city center.

And the winner is … José van Rijsewijk. This lucky guy recently was told that he can make the beautiful trip. Was his name drawn out of a bowl or is there a reason that José got the job?

Pilot José van Rijsewijk

“I know the captain of the Eurodam, Jeroen van Donselaar, very well,’’ José explained. “That I’ve told my boss. Besides, there’s a limited number of pilots with the right qualifications for this kind of ship.’’

José met Jeroen long ago at the Maritime Institute De Ruyter in Flushing. Later, their roads crossed when they both attended pilot training.

“After Jeroen quit the pilot training we’ve met several times in Flushing,” said José. “In the last couple of years the contact was a bit less, unfortunately.’’

José did not practice bringing in Eurodam, specifically, on a simulator.

“We practice on a simulator with vessels of similar length, but with more draft and less maneuverability,” said José. “We then simulate heavy fog and marginal circumstances, especially concerning the current.’’

But José, be honest, bringing in the Eurodam is not that difficult, is it? Pilot service is just a kind of valet parking, after all …

“Ho, ho,’’ José replied. “The Port of Rotterdam is a very busy port and the Eurodam is not just an ordinary ship. When I meet new pilots who’ve sailed as captains for many years, we always agree that controlling all tasks of a pilot isn’t that easy at all.

“There are many aspects we have to look at. For instance, the current, the speed of the ship, other ships en route, the tide and the number of tugs you need,” said José. “And at the same moment you have to communicate with vessel traffic management and the captains of tugs, while the captain of your ship and his officers are asking you where to buy presents.’’

I asked José what will be the most difficult part of the job.

“The challenge of this job is that many, many people will be watching you,” he said. “Besides that, the Eurodam is a huge vessel and it is very sensitive to wind. The most difficult part of the journey is swinging the ship around on the river Nieuwe Maas close to the Waalhaven docks, just a mile or so before the cruise terminal. That will be difficult because of the current. At a certain moment, when the ship is right across the river, you almost close off the whole river. It’s very important to choose the right starting point for this maneuver.’’

Arrival in Rotterdam

Pam sent us these two photos of Eurodam’s arrival in Rotterdam yesterday.

Eurodam is led into the Port of Rotterdam by a fireboat.

Eurodam passes the Hotel New York, which was HAL’s original headquarters offices 135 years ago.

Pierside Preparations in Rotterdam

People walking on the busy Wilhelminapier in Rotterdam now know for sure: something’s going to happen here.

The event area is enclosed by the World Port Center and the Rotterdam cruise terminal.

A small army of specialists is constructing a huge 2,500-seat grandstand, and at the waterside a multilevel stage. It’s the place where Queen Beatrix will name ms Eurodam Tuesday.

An even better view of the event area can be had from HAL’s Rotterdam office, located on the sixth floor of Montevideo Building.

Dedication Ceremony to Play Live on Eurodam News Blog

When the festivities get under way in Rotterdam at 9:45 a.m. (EDT) Tuesday, July 1, you can watch them live here on Eurodam News Blog. For the first time ever a Holland America inaugural will be live-streamed across the Internet.

To view the broadcast requires no special hardware or software. Simply come to the blog site, choose the viewer that matches your Internet connection (fast or slow), and voila! There’s Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands doing the traditional godmother thing live and in color.

Mark your calendar today, but don’t worry, we’ll give another reminder between now and Tuesday.