Home
SHIPS A-Z
Memories of the Seas
AG EMS
AIDA CRUISES
ASUKA CRUISE (NYK)
AZAMARA CLUB CRUISES
BLACK SEA SHIPPINGco
CARNIVAL CRUISE LINE
CELEBRITY CRUISES
CELESTYAL CRUISES
CLASSIC INTERNATION.
CMV CRUISES
COSTA CRUISES
CRYSTAL CRUISES
CUNARD LINE
DFDS SEAWAYS
DISNEY CRUISES
DREAM CRUISES
EVT
FJORD LINE
FRED. OLSEN LINES
FTI CRUISES
GRAND CIRCLE CRUISES
HAPAG-LLOYD
HOLLAND AMERICA LINE
Rotterdam (V)
Maasdam (V)
Ryndam (III)
Veendam (IV)
Rotterdam (VI)
Zaandam (III)
Prinsendam (II)
Zuiderdam (II)
Oosterdam
Westerdam (III)
Noordam (IV)
Eurodam
Koningsdam
Nieuw Statendam
Rotterdam (VII)
HOLLAND NORWAY LINES
HURTIG RUTEN
IBEROCRUCEROS
KRISTINA CRUISES
LINDBLAD EXPEDITIONS
MAJESTIC INTERNAT.
MARELLA CRUISES
MERCY SHIPS
MITSUI OSK LINES
MSC CRUISES
NICKO CRUISES
NOBLE CALEDONIA
NORDIC JET LINE
NORWEGIAN CRUISELINE
OCEANIA CRUISES
OCEANWIDE EXPEDITION
PEACEBOAT
PHOENIX REISEN
PLANTOURS & PARTNER
P&O CRUISES
P&O FERRIES
PONANT
PRINCESS CRUISES
PULLMANTUR CRUISES
QUARK EXPEDITIONS
REDERIJ DOEKSEN
REGENT SEVEN SEAS
RENAISSANCE CRUISES
ROYAL CARIBBEAN
ROYAL OLYMPIC
SAGA CRUISES
SCENIC CRUISES
SEABOURN CRUISE LINE
SEA CLOUD CRUISES
SERENISSIMA CRUISES
SILVERSEA CRUISES
STAR CLIPPERS
STATEN ISLAND FERRY
STENA LINE
SWAN HELLENIC
TESO
THE WORLD
TUI CRUISES
VENUS CRUISE (JCL)
VIKING OCEAN CRUISES
VIRGIN VOYAGES
VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY
VOYAGES TO ANTIQUITY
WAVERLEY
WINDSTAR CRUISES

Oosterdam

When Holland America Line announced the building of this new class, it was intended to built six ships. The class was already referred as the Vista-class and this caused a problem, because the ships would be called after the points on the compass: Zuiderdam, Oosterdam, Westerdam, Noordam and ehh... Because parent company Carnival Corporation is very good in transferring ships between her daughters, this problem was eventually solved when Holland America recieved four ships, Cunard Line one and the last one was cancelled (first, later to be added again in another shape). These ships would be the biggest ships ever built for the old Dutch company, surpassing the 60.000 GRT Rotterdam-class by 20.000 tons. What makes the Vista's directly recognizable is an unusual feauture of modern ships and that's two working funnels. This was last seen on the transatlantic Italia-liners Michelangelo  and Raffaello in the mid 60's. Also, the glass elevators on the outside are innovative, though not brandnew. We've seen them a little bit earlier on Celebrity's Millennium-class.

What you hear among Dutch people is that they do not like the looks of modern ships, especially the HAL-ones, but the Vista-class looks are pretty good. Of course it helpes that the second Vistaship Oosterdam was named in Rotterdam, spectated by thousands of people along the riverbanks and the Erasmusbridge.
The first Vista-ship was the Zuiderdam of 2001, named 'Zuiderman' due to little mistake by her godmother. The ship measures 82.305 tonnes and started sailing the Caribbean. She was followed by Oosterdam in 2003, with 81.769 tonnes somewhat smaller in size then her older sister. This ship was named in Rotterdam on the 29th of july, where she was joined for the occation by her fleetmate and flagship Rotterdam. It was the first time since 1958 that a Holland America ship was named in the Dutch port and it was also the first time in decades that two HAL-ships were berthed together in the big city. Her godmother is Princess Margriet of The Netherlands.

Oosterdam is 290 meters long, 32,25 meters wide and her draft is 7,9 meters. She was built at the Fincnatieri wharf at Marghera, Italy, as yardnumber 6076. Her 11 passengerdecks accomodate 1848 passengers and 812 crew and her maximum speed is 24 knots, although she normally sails at 22 knots. She is propelled by two ABB Azipods, powered by five Sulzer diesel electric engines and one gas generator. There has never been an Oosterdam before in the Holland America Line history, the only point of the compass that was never awarded a shipname for them before the Vista class came into being. There has been an Oosterdijk, though. In HAL history, passengerships names ended at 'dam' and freighters ended their names at 'dijk' (or the more international 'dyk').

At the 5th of may in 2019, Oosterdam had a little kiss with her fleetmate Nieuw Amsterdam while the ship docked at Vancouver. While docking, she hit the aft end of Nieuw Amsterdam with her own aft end and in this collission several cabins of especially Nieuw Amsterdam were damaged. There were no injuries and the sailingscedules were also not affected.

Top