Holland America Line Comes Home To Rotterdam

Rotterdam, Netherlands, February 28, 2007 – From its start 134 years ago as a Rotterdam-based shipping firm, Holland America Line – the premium cruise leader – comes home to Rotterdam today. The Seattle-based cruise line returns in grand fashion, opening a sales and marketing office considered key to increasing the company’s share of the growing Dutch cruise market.

Located in the Kop van Zuid section of Rotterdam on Wilhelmina Pier, the new office will eventually house approximately 30 Holland America Line staff members, responsible for shipboard hiring, purchasing, and sales and marketing. The new office is only 100 meters from the site of Holland America Line’s original office on Wilhelmina Pier in what is now Hotel New York.

“For a number of years, we’ve considered the benefits of an increased sales and marketing presence in the Netherlands,” noted Stein Kruse, president and chief executive officer for Holland America Line Inc. “The time is right. The Dutch market is strong and shows great potential for growth, and Holland America Line’s market identity is strong as well. We expect this new office to play a significant role in increasing our share of the Dutch cruise market.”

Manuel van Engelen, Holland America Line director of sales for the Netherlands, manages the new Rotterdam sales and marketing division, supervising the creation and management of Holland America Line’s Dutch market activities.

“When guests step aboard a Holland America Line ship, they’re stepping onto Dutch soil,” said van Engelen. “We tell our guests that our ships take a piece of Holland all over the world.”

Holland America Line intends to increase its visibility in the Rotterdam community with a program to develop community involvement opportunities in such events as the Maritime Museum, the Ronald McDonald House and more. City officials welcome the prospect of Holland America’s participation in city events and activities.

“We welcome Holland America Line’s return to Rotterdam and embrace the company as a neighbor and friend to our city,” said Ivo W. Opstelten, Lord Mayor of Rotterdam. “We anticipate a helpful partnership that will help the company achieve its business goals.”

Originally founded in Rotterdam in 1873 as Nederlandsch-Amerikaansche Stoomvaart Maatschapp (NASM), a shipping company, Holland America Line underscores its historic relationship with the Netherlands with the opening of the new office. Ships in the Holland America Line fleet have long flown the Dutch flag, serving as an ambassador to the Netherlands to more than 10 million guests. During World War II, Holland America Line ships served as the headquarters for the exiled Dutch government and after the war, a Holland America Line ship delivered the first cargo of Marshall Aid to Europe. Today, many of the fleet’s captains and officers are Dutch nationals, reflecting the Netherlands’ legacy as a seafaring nation.