Carnival Corporation has announced the sale of four Holland America Line cruise ships to undisclosed buyers as the world’s leading cruise company sheds older tonnage amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The ships – Amsterdam, Maasdam, Rotterdam and Veendam – have been sold in pairs, with the S-Class Maasdam and Veendam transferring to one company in August 2020, while the R-Class Amsterdam and Rotterdam will move to another company in fall 2020, Carnival said in a statement.
The MS Maasdam joined the fleet in 1993 as the second of four S-Class ships with a carrying 1,258 guests. Most recently, the 55,575-ton ship sailed longer South Pacific and Alaska voyages. Veendam, the final S-Class ship, was delivered in 1996. The 57,092-ton vessel carries 1,350 guests.
The first ship in the R Class, the 61,849-ton Rotterdam was introduced in 1997 and has a capacity of 1,404 guests. Finally, the 62,735-ton Amsterdam joined the fleet in 2000 as the final of four R-Class ships. It has capacity for 1,380 guests and most recently operated the line’s Grand World Voyage.
“It’s always difficult to see any ship leave the fleet, especially those that have a long and storied history with our company,” said Stein Kruse, chief executive officer of Holland America Group and Carnival UK. “However, Holland America Line has a bright future ahead that includes recent Pinnacle-Class additions, with a third sister ship next year that will continue to maintain our overall capacity in the marketplace.”
Last week, Carnival Corporation said that as a result of the pandemic it plans to reduce its fleet by 13 ships, representing a nearly 9% reduction in capacity. The company expects only five of the nine ships on order to be delivered.
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