 Zaandam inGlacier Bay,Alaska | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | Zaandam |
| Owner | Carnival Corporation & plc |
| Operator | Holland America Line |
| Port of registry |  Rotterdam[1] |
| Builder | Fincantieri Cantieri Navali Italiana SpA,Marghera,Italy |
| Yard number | 6036 |
| Laid down | 26 June 1998[1] |
| Launched | 29 April 1999 |
| Christened | May 2000 |
| Completed | 6 April 2000[1] |
| Identification |
|
| Status | Operating |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Rotterdam-classcruise ship |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 237 m (777 ft 7 in)[1] |
| Beam | 32.28 m (105 ft 11 in)[1] |
| Draught | 8.1 m (26 ft 7 in)[1] |
| Decks | 10 decks |
| Installed power | 42,000 kW (56,000 hp)[1] |
| Propulsion | |
| Speed | 23knots (43 km/h; 26 mph) |
| Capacity | 1,432 passengers |
| Crew | 615 |
MSZaandam is acruise ship owned and operated byHolland America Line, named for the city ofZaandam, Netherlands, nearAmsterdam. She was built byFincantieri inMarghera, Italy and delivered in 2000.Zaandam is part of theRotterdam class and asister ship toVolendam, the formerRotterdam, and formerAmsterdam.
The ship was denied access to thePanama Canal and then toFort Lauderdale after an outbreak ofCOVID-19 early in the2020 pandemic. Four passengers and crew died of COVID-19 during or after that voyage.[3]
The ship has a 61,396 gross tonnage (GT), a 31,224 net tonnage (NT) and measures 7,321 tonsdeadweight (DWT). The ship is 237.7 metres (780 ft) long with abeam of 32.4 metres (106 ft 5 in) and adraught of 8.3 metres (27 ft 1 in).[4][5][a] As built the vessel had a GT of 60,906 and DWT 6,150. As builtZaandam was 237 metres (777 ft 7 in)long overall and 202.8 metres (665 ft 4 in)between perpendiculars with a beam of 32.3 metres (106 ft 0 in).[7] The vessel is powered by adiesel-electric system turning twopropeller shafts creating 37,500kilowatts (50,300 hp).[8] This givesZaandam a maximum speed of 23knots (43 km/h; 26 mph).[4]
The vessel can accommodate 1,432 passengers and 607 crew.[4][8][b] The 716 cabins range in size from 10.5–104.6 m2 (113–1,126 sq ft), of which 197 have a balcony.Zaandam has a musical theme, and is decorated with artefacts and memorabilia from different musical genres, such as aBaroque-styleDutchpipe organ and guitars signed by theRolling Stones,Carlos Santana andQueen.[8] One of the centre stairways has a saxophone signed by formerUnited States PresidentBill Clinton on the mouthpiece.[8][9] A total of 10 decks are accessible to passengers (with the top-most split in the middle to accommodate the Lido deck pool skylight and the "A" deck having only the port/starboard tender ship docks accessible), 5 of which contain cabins. TheLower Promenade Deck (Deck 3) has an exterior walkway along the ship's circumference, excluding the bow section.[10]
The cruise ship was constructed byFincantieri Cantieri Navali Italiana SpA atMarghera, Italy with theyard number 6036 and thekeel waslaid down on 26 June 1998. The vessel waslaunched on 29 April 1999 and completed on 6 April 2000.[7]Zaandam was christened byMary-Kate andAshley Olsen in May 2000.[4] The ship isregistered in the Netherlands and owned and operated by theHolland America Line.[6]
Zaandam formerly sailed through Canada andNew England during the summer and during the winter sails Mexico andHawaii. In December and January,Zaandam cruises the Antarctic and South America.[11]
On 24 June 2018, the U.S.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 73 people became ill onZaandam in anorovirus outbreak en voyage fromSeattle,Washington toAlaska.[12]
On 1 July 2024, themain-belt asteroid (277118) Zaandam, discovered byAndrew Lowe in 2005, was named in honor of the vessel. The citation reads:[13]
The cruise shipMS Zaandam encountered thetotal solar eclipse of April 8, 2024 off the west coast of Mexico. In spite of weather challenges, the skill and expertise of Captain Ane Smit, his officers, and crew ensured that the discoverer of this minor planet and the other passengers onboard successfully observed the eclipse.
On 7 March 2020Zaandam departedBuenos Aires, Argentina, sailing forSan Antonio, Chile with 1,243 passengers and 586 crew.[14][15] By 14 March, 13 passengers and over 100 crew members had fallen ill with "flu-like symptoms."[16] She became stranded off the coast of Chile after being denied entry. By 24 March, the vessel was sailing forPort Everglades, a cruise-liner port inFlorida, United States. The number of sick people aboard had risen to 77.[17] Holland America dispatchedsister shipRotterdam to aid the ship by bringing supplies, additional medical staff, andCOVID-19 tests, and also with the intention of transferring healthy passengers ontoRotterdam.[14]
On 27 March,Zaandam was denied transit through the Panama Canal due to the number of sick people on board.[18] Four passengers died while waiting for permission to transit thePanama Canal with the number of sick aboard climbing to 148.[14] On 28 March 2020,Zaandam andRotterdam were cleared by the Panama Department of Health to transit the Panama Canal.[19] Some passengers fromZaandam transferred to theRotterdam.[20][21][22]Rotterdam followedZaandam through the Panama Canal on her way to Port Everglades, inFort Lauderdale, Florida. At that time, the crew ofZaandam included four physicians and four nurses whileRotterdam's roster included two physicians and four nurses.[23]
By 31 March 2020, the number reported as being "ill" had increased to 193.[24]Rotterdam had taken almost 1,400 symptom-free people fromZaandam, leaving 450 passengers and 602 crew members on her sister ship.[25]
By 30 March 2020, Holland America did not receive permission to dock either vessel at Fort Lauderdale as planned. The city's mayor,Dean Trantalis, "said he didn't want the ship to dock near his city, at least without extensive precautions."[26][27] The Floridastate governor,Ron DeSantis, was also hesitant to acceptZaandam at Fort Lauderdale, and declined to make a decision on 31 March 2020. The president of Holland America made a public plea for acceptance of the ship and expressed concern that various ports in several countries had been reluctant to provide provisions and medical supplies.[28]
In a 30 March press conference, the state governor suggested that the best solution might be to send medical assistance to the ship.[29] On 1 April, the governor announced that only residents of Florida could disembark when the ship arrived. 190 passengers and crew reported "flu-like" symptoms and eight had tested positive for COVID-19.[30]
US PresidentDonald Trump said on 1 April 2020 that "we have to help the people" [on the ships] and that discussions were under way with Canada and the United Kingdom about them "arranging flights to retrieve their citizens from the ship." After the ship was allowed to dock, nine passengers were taken to local hospitals, but 45 others who were ill were required to remain on board, receiving medical care, until they fully met "the CDC guidelines for being fit to travel." Crew from both ship were not permitted to disembark.[31] The cruise line sought to arrange for passengers from other countries to leave Florida on chartered aircraft.[32]
By 4 April, "14 critically ill people" were admitted to local hospitals, while the others were allowed to disembark when flights to their destinations were available.[33] A fourth person, one of the crew, died in hospital on 10 April.[3] As a result of the pandemic,Zaandam was taken out of active service.
In August 2021, Holland America Line announcedZaandam would return to cruising the Canada/New England region in May 2022.[34]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Q&A interview with Michael Smith and Jonathan Franklin onCabin Fever, July 24, 2022,C-SPAN |
A book aboutZandaam was published in June 2022 titledCabin Fever: The Harrowing Journey of a Cruise Ship at the Dawn of a Pandemic, byMichael Smith andJonathan Franklin.[35]
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