Top Management Team Named for Nieuw Statendam
Holland America Line has named the top management team for Nieuw Statendam, which is set sail in December 2018.
The ship's senior staff officers will bring a combined 80 years of company loyalty and experience: Captain Sybe de Boer, Staff Captain Kevin Beirnaert, Hotel Director Don Habets, Chief Engineer Eric van Loenen, and Environmental Officer Dolf Kramer.
The 2,666-guest, 99,500-ton ship currently is under construction at Fincantieri's shipyard at Marghera, Italy. During its inaugural year, Nieuw Statendam will explore the Caribbean in winter and then move to northern Europe, Iceland and the Mediterranean in summer.
Captain Sybe de Boer
Having been with the company since 1994 when he joined the former Nieuw Amsterdam, de Boer rose through the ranks from second officer to captain. He has been master of Statendam, Zaandam, Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Eurodam, and served on Maasdam, Ryndam, Noordam, Nieuw Amsterdam and Koningsdam.
For the past three years he represented Holland America Line as a Fleet Captain at Maritime Quality Assurance, Carnival Corporation Plc. In this role, he advanced the Bridge Resource Management policies and procedures across the Carnival Corporation brands.
Hailing from the Netherlands, de Boer resides in The Hague. He enjoys going to concerts, visiting museums, flying light aircraft (he holds a commercial pilot's license), sailing, photography and bicycling. He graduated from the Maritime Institute Willem Barentsz in Terschelling, the Netherlands, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Navigation.
Hotel Director Don Habets
Since joining Holland America Line in 2002, Habets has sailed on all of the company's ships, including the former Ryndam and Statendam. His first ship was Maasdam, and most recently he served on board Koningsdam. Habets began as an assistant maître d' and worked his way up to hotel director through various hotel department positions.
A native of the Netherlands, Habets graduated from the Hoge Hotel School in Maastricht, the Netherlands, with a bachelor's degree in hospitality management. He enjoys life and everything it brings, as well as making Holland America Line guests and crew happy.
Staff Captain Kevin Beirnaert
Beirnaert joined Holland America Line in 2006 and worked on Rotterdam, Eurodam, Nieuw Amsterdam and Koningsdam. He was also a member of the senior team to introduce Koningsdam.
Hailing from Gent, Belgium, Beirnaert studied at the Hogere Zeevaart school in Antwerp, Belgium, and worked for freight company Ecuadorian Line and on dredging ships in Dubai, U.A.E., on the Palm Jumeirah Project before joining Holland America Line. He resides in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Chief Engineer Eric van Loenen
van Loenen joined Holland America Line in 2002 as a second engineer after working on container ships, cargo ships and chemical parcel tankers. He began his career with Holland America Line on Amsterdam and has served on several ships, including Maasdam, Ryndam, Volendam, Zaandam, Oosterdam, Zaandam and Zuiderdam.
Prior to being named to the Nieuw Statendam team he was chief engineer on Koningsdam.
van Loenen graduated from the Maritime Institute Willem Barentsz in Terschelling. He and his wife live in Makkum, Friesland, in the Netherlands, with their three children.
Environmental Officer Dolf Kramer
Dutch native Kramer went to Nautical College in Den Helder, the Netherlands, and studied to be a shipboard engineer. Prior to joining Holland America Line in 2004 he worked on cargo ships and in a steel factory.
Kramer came to work for Holland America Line as an environmental officer, and he has worked on all classes of ships except Pinnacle Class. He has served on Statendam, Ryndam, Maasdam, Rotterdam, Volendam, Zaandam, Amsterdam, Prinsendam, Zuiderdam, Oosterdam, Westerdam, Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam. Launching Nieuw Statendam — the second Pinnacle Class ship — will round out his class experience.
When he's not on board, Kramer lives in Aruba with his wife where he spends time riding his Harley Davidson and working to restore his classic 1957 Chevrolet.