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Holland America Line’s newest ship, Rotterdam has returned to Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard in Venice, Italy, after successfully completing two sets of sea trials off the country’s Adriatic coast.

Rotterdam left Marghera April 25 and performed the preliminary sea trials over two days before going into dry dock at Fincantieri’s Trieste shipyard where standard pre-delivery hull maintenance and painting were performed.

The ship then started her official sea trials on May 3, returning to Marghera May 6, where the final steps in the construction process will be completed, with Rotterdam  scheduled for delivery July 30.

Gus Antorcha, president of Holland America Line said, “The successful completion of sea trials gives us great confidence as we head into the final weeks of outfitting for Rotterdam and prepare for delivery of this historic ship.” adding, “Construction of Rotterdam has continued through the global challenges of the past year with Fincantieri maintaining the highest level of dedication to staying on schedule”, and “Congratulations to everyone involved for completing this significant milestone.”

During sea trials, Rotterdam underwent a series of rigorous performance tests on the ship’s systems, machinery and engines, with Captain Werner Timmers, Staff Captain Kevin Beirnaert, Chief Engineer Stefan Dullaert and other members of Rotterdam’s designated senior bridge and engineering teams participated in testing the ship’s maneuvering characteristics and safety systems in collaboration with the shipyard’s team of naval architects, engineers and builders.

Rotterdam is the third vessel in the Pinnacle Class series, carrying 2,668 guests and feature amenities and innovations introduced with her sister ships, including the 270-degree surround-screen World Stage, Rudi’s Sel de Mer restaurant and the popular Grand Dutch Café, with Rotterdam celebrating live music with an exclusive collection of world-class performances each night.

Rotterdam is the seventh ship to bear the name for Holland America Line and the 17th ship constructed for the brand by Italian shipyard Fincantieri.

A report by John Alwyn-Jones, Cruise Editor