Weighing in at 99,902 gross tons and spanning 300 metres in length, the cruise ship Nieuw Statendam’s arrival at the Port of Galway last week was the cause of fanfare.
Welcomed by the city’s town crier, Liam Silke, the arrival of the Nieuw Statendam continues the Port’s nearly 70-year partnership with the Holland America Line, with the first Holland America Line vessel, the MV Ryndam, arriving from New York on the same date (July 31 ) in 1958. Similarly, a Statendam-class vessel also visited Galway in 1967, though it was a great deal smaller at 24,294 gross tons.
In an interview with Float magazine, Port of Galway’s harbourmaster, Captain Brian Sheridan, said, “To now welcome the ultra-modern Nieuw Statendam to Galway Bay precisely 67 years after the first Holland America Line call is both a celebration of progress and a tribute to a long-standing maritime connection.”
With more than 3,700 passengers and crew aboard the Niew Statendam, some 26 coaches transported cruise guests throughout Connemara and North Clare, before returning to the city to enjoy the bustling environment of race week in Galway. Also docking in the Port on Thursday was another large cruise ship called the Island Sky.
According to the Port, the arrival of the Nieuw Statendam serves as a “proud and exciting day for the Port, the city and the entire region.”
