Full Holland America fleet now shore power-capable

Volendam connected to the Port of Vancouver's Canada Place shoreside electricity for the first full day on Sept. 27.

The cruise line began converting ships for shore power connectivity in 2006 with its four Vista-class vessels. Its Pinnacle-class ships Koningsdam, Nieuw Statendam and Rotterdam were all built with shore power systems. And the Signature-class Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam were introduced with a partial installation that has since been completed.

Shore power in 18 ports visited

HAL can connect in more than 18 ports worldwide, with more than 25 additional ports actively constructing shore power facilities or investigating the option to do so.

Ports that Holland America ships visit with shore power include Juneau, New York, San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, Halifax, Montréal, Vancouver, Bergen, Ålesund, Kristiansand, Kiel, Shanghai and Xiamen. In 2024, the Port of Rotterdam is expected to be shore-power ready.

Sustainability milestone

'Our legacy of exceptional on-board care extends to caring for the planet, and having our entire fleet capable of shore power connection is a tremendous milestone in our sustainability efforts,' HAL President Gus Antorcha said. 'We have committed to reducing our carbon emission intensity 20% by 2026 from our 2019 baseline, and we’re on our way to reaching that goal through a variety of initiatives that include shore power.'

He added: 'We look forward to more global ports embracing shore power capability in the future and are ready to work with them to connect.'