In November of last year Rick Ehlert, a passenger on Holland America’s Ryndam, did something incredibly stupid. Drunk and in a mischievous mood Mr. Ehlert broke into the ship’s control room, threw over a life ring then proceeded to deploy the ship’s anchor… while the vessel was underway. Normally this act of sabatouge would be difficult to trace back to the perpetrator but, according to the FBI, it was all caught on tape. The FBI’s report further states that Ehlert “approaching the anchor, then touching the anchor, and then taking multiple steps to deploy it.”

And how did Elhert know how to deploy the anchor? Well he also happen to be a  wealthy California businessman (he runs RV dealerships) and owner of a 50′ yacht which, apparently, has an anchor so large it uses a similar winch system.

According to his lawyer,  Daniel L. Castillo, Ehlert has admitted to the act and the Tampa Tribune reports. “I guess he thought it was a big joke,” Castillo said.  “He’s not denying he did it.”

Ehlert has been indicted for “attempting to damage, destroy, disable, or wreck a vessel” and attempting “to cause damage to a ship which is likely to endanger the safe navigation of that ship”, felony charges that carry a maximum prison term of 20 years, although the Tribune reports that prosecutors suggest they expect him to receive probation.

“He’s guilty of felony stupidity — that he is,” Castillo told the Tribune but there was no damage to the ship and no one was hurt so“Where’s the crime?”, asked Castilo. The lawyer’s official statement leaves out the “stupid” part stating; “”The deployment of the rear anchor of the vessel while underway, albeit a reckless and foolish act, does not rise to the level of a federal criminal violation.”

Cruise Critic has more details on the incident and some “expert” opinion but well leave this to the real experts, gCaptain’s experienced readers, to decide… so… is this just a stupid prank or a potential ISPS and safety nightmare? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Forget around the world in 180 days, this is the future.

Today, Holland America announced that, departing in January, the MS Amsterdam will set sail on a 112-day circumnavigation of the globe, its seventh in just over a decade.  According to the Holland America website, the voyage, leaving from Fort Lauderdale, includes stops in the Carribean and parts of South America, before heading around Cape Horn and down to Antarctica.  Then west to Tahiti, followed by Australia, the Far East and Indian Ocean, before transiting the Suez Canal, to the Mediterranean and back to South Florida.

What’s the price tag for such a voyage?  A mere $23,799 per person.  Then again you can always try getting a job.

More HERE

[Image credit: Holland America Line]

Nieuw Amsterdam – 1905: “Built by Harland & Wolff at Belfast, Holland America’s first Nieuw Amsterdam was launched in 1905 and made her maiden voyage from Rotterdam to New York on 7 April 1907. She was HAL’s first quadruple expansion powered ship and the line’s last vessel to be fitted with auxiliary sails, which she never needed to deploy.”   greatships.net

Nieuw Amsterdam II - 1937: “The Nieuw Amsterdam was often affectionately nicknamed the “Darling of the Dutch” and was truly a most elegant and handsome ship. This much loved Holland America Line ship had a most eventful career including service as a troopship during the Second World War but was eventually retired from service and scrapped in 1974.” oceanlinermuseum.co.uk

Nieuw Amsterdam III – 1983: “Built by Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard, St. Nazaire, France and delivered to Holland America Line on 1 July, 1983 as the first of two identical sisters which would be known as the “N”-class with HAL. Her younger sister, Noordam followed just under a year later from the same yard. They would be the last new-builds for the, at that time, Dutch-owned Holland-Amerika Lijn.” cruisecritic.com

MS Nieuw Amsterdam – 2010: MS Nieuw Amsterdam made her maiden voyage earlier this week becoming the 81st ship to enter Holland America’s service and the second largest Holland America ship to date. HollandAmerica.com tell us this about her namesakes.

The first Nieuw Amsterdam was launched in 1906 and used both a full set of sails and steam engines. She was 17,149 tons and carried 2,886 passengers, 2,200 of them in third class. She sailed in regular service through World War I and then through to 1932.

The famed Nieuw Amsterdam II joined the fleet in 1938 as the company’s flagship. The silhouette of this ship can still be seen today behind Henry Hudson’s Half Moon in the company’s logo. At 36,287 tons, “the Darling of the Dutch,” as she was known, was decorated in great style and was launched by Her Majesty Queen Wilhemina of the Netherlands. Nieuw Amsterdam II served proudly in World War II completing 44 war time voyages carrying nearly 400,000 passengers (mostly troops). Following the war she was rebuilt and, as the queen of Holland America Line’s “spotless fleet,” hosted countless well-known figures among her guests, including Katherine Hepburn, Rita Hayworth, Spencer Tracey and Albert Schweitzer.

Nieuw Amsterdam III was launched in 1983 as one of the most elegant ships of her time. At 33,900 tons, Nieuw Amsterdam III sailed in Alaska in the summers and in the Caribbean in the winters. hollandamerica.com

History of the Nieuw Amsterdam – greatships.net

Photos of the S/S Nieuw Amsterdam II – oceanlinermuseum.co.uk

History of the S/S Nieuw Amsterdam II

History of Nieuw Amsterdam III boards.cruisecritic.com

Photos of the brand new MS Nieuw Amsterdam from dubrovacki.hr

Eurodam News, Holland America’s newbuild blog, shares the secret;

When Zuiderdam, the first Vista-class ship, entered service, it quickly became evident that the aft part of the main restaurant had higher-than-usual noise and vibration levels. On all Holland America ships the aft section of the main restaurant is located above the propellers, but on Vista-class ships the main restaurant was located three decks lower and therefore is closer to the propellers.

Fincantieri engaged Danish consulting company Odegaard & Danneskiold-Samsoe to work with the shipyard’s noise and vibration department to develop a solution. They hit on the idea of installing an air-injection system that would create a cushion of air bubbles between the propellers and the hull to absorb some of the noise frequencies that would otherwise be transferred directly to the hull. A similar system had been installed on private yachts before, but the technology had never been tried on a large cruise vessel.

For the rest of the article click HERE. Also visit gcaptain’s new Free-board for Jobs In Naval Architecture.

This article was originally posted in October 2007

Eurodam News, a blog following the construction of the brand new Holland America Lines’ cruise ship M/V Eurodam, recently featured a very interesting post by the company’s director of budgets and planning Tim Murphy. The subject: How To Buy A Cruise Ship. Murphy writes:

“First, you make an economic decision about whether you need a new ship,” Murphy said. “Then you negotiate a price with the shipyard. Generally, you then make a down payment, usually in the range of 5 percent. Then there is a series of staged payments while the ship is being built, with a final big payoff at the time the ship is delivered.”

Murphy said that Eurodam is being financed by Holland America Line through Carnival Corporation’s ownership of the company. “We are in the enviable position that we can self-finance a new cruise ship due to our parent company’s strong balance sheet and solid cash flow,” he said.

Another of Murphy’s areas of responsibility is warranties. A cruise ship is a very large, complex machine made up of lots of smaller systems and moving parts, and just like with a new car, the owner is going to want warranties for a set time period in the event that there are problems with any parts or systems.

“Pretty much everything on board that’s not a consumable, like light bulbs and that kind of thing, is under warranty for a year,” said Murphy. “Larger, more complex and more critical systems like the engines or water treatment plant would have an extended warranty.”

Before the line takes possession of the ship from the shipyard, any outstanding warranty issues are negotiated and a pre-delivery list of things that still need to be done such as painting, laying carpet or other cosmetic finishes is made and the shipyard is obligated to finish those tasks as soon as possible.

You can read the entire article HERE.

Eurodam News, the official Holland America blog documenting the building of the cruise ship M/V Eurodam, gives us a sneak peak at the latest in propeller and bulbous bow design.

The Cincinnati Enquirer as us: “As new cruise ships continue to get larger, it begs the question: Is bigger better?”

I admittedly don’t know much about cruise ship operations but quoting a friend… “The only problem with working on cruise ships…. cargo that complains!” The larger the ship the more cargo you have to load.

They tell us a little about these mega-ships including the Freedom of the Seas, pictured above;

Boasting the two largest ships afloat, Royal Caribbean is a leader of mega-ships. Last year, the cruise line rolled out Freedom of the Seas, followed this May by its sister Liberty of the Seas. At 160,000 tons and 1,112 feet long, each ship houses 1,815 staterooms on 15 passenger decks and a crew of 1,360.

Double occupancy pushes capacity to 3,630 cruisers, but the ships are designed to spread people out. Miniature golf, karaoke, court sports, swimming, ice skating, spa services and FlowRider – the industry’s first surf simulator – are just a sampling of the onboard activities.

Norwegian Cruise Line features another industry first: a full-size, four-lane bowling alley onboard the new Pearl and the soon-to-launch Gem. These 93,530-ton ships also incorporate a new style of accommodations with much larger courtyard villas and garden villas, a dozen restaurants, 11 bars and lounges and rock climbing wall.

So what’s on the horizon for these mega ships?

• Cunard rolls out the regal Queen Victoria this December with an elegant Todd English Restaurant.
• MSC’s Poesia is poised for March, carrying 3,013 guests on 13 passenger decks. Amenities include a tennis court, teen club, cigar room, disco and miniature golf.
• Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas makes waves in England in May with a spa and well-being center with thermal caves.
• Next summer, Holland America debuts the 2,104-passenger Eurodam, the largest ever for the line. Innovations include a topside pan-Asian restaurant and a lounge that overlooks the ocean and pool.
• Carnival’s Splendor makes its inaugural cruise next July. The 113,000-ton ship will have a sliding Sky Dome, a 21,000-square-foot health and fitness center and 68 special spa staterooms.
• The 113,000-ton, 3,080-passenger Ruby Princess sparkles in November 2008 with a dramatic piazza-style atrium and performing street entertainers, in addition to its signature Movies Under the Stars.
• The 122,000-ton Celebrity Solstice takes its maiden voyage in December 2008.
• In fall of 2009, Royal Caribbean’s “Project Genesis” ship will set a record as the largest cruise ship on the sea. This whopping 220,000-ton, next-generation ship will carry 5,400 passengers.

If your interested in these new ships then head over to Holland America’s Eurodam Blog for a behind the scenes look at the building of a Mega-Ship.

Read the full Cincinnati Enquirer article HERE.