MS Zuiderdam makes a port call on Saipan, Monday.
A passenger of MS Zuiderman holds a sign thanking Saipan as the cruise ship departs the island on Monday afternoon.
THE narrow channel and a 35-knot wind speed did not deter the MS Zuiderdam from pulling into Saipan’s harbor on Monday.
“It was not easy, but we made it,” the ship’s captain, Frank Van Der Hoeven, said.
He said he had asked the Center for Simulator Maritime Training in the Netherlands to create a simulation for the ship’s entry into Saipan’s harbor.
“With the technology today, we can look at the charts, winds, and sea conditions, and we can simulate, and we did the whole simulation remotely, while we are still in the Pacific. We created a much better picture of what to expect once we were committed to drive in the channel. We can’t risk safety, there is no margin for error. In this case I was confident that I could have 30-35 knots of wind and have good speed and come alongside the port,” Van Der Hoeven said.
MS Zuiderdam is a Vista-class cruise ship owned and operated by Holland America Line.
With a length of 936 feet, MS Zuiderdam can accommodate 1,964 passengers, and 800 crewmembers. The cruise ship, which has 11 passenger decks, also has its own shops, bars, casino, restaurants, fitness centers, two deck pools and other amenities.
Van Der Hoeven said they were cleared to disembark at 8 a.m. and were scheduled to depart at 5 p.m. also on Monday.
From Saipan, MS Zuiderdam headed to Japan, and will visit other ports there before proceeding to China, Hong Kong and then back to Fort Lauderdale in Florida, the ship captain said.
“We started January 3rd, and we will be arriving in Fort Lauderdale on May 11th — 128 days around the world,” Van Der Hoeven added.
Commonwealth Ports Authority officials led by the board chairman, Joe Ayuyu, welcomed the cruise ship’s captain and crew and encouraged them to take some time off from their routine and enjoy the hospitality of the island.
Ayuyu was joined by CPA board member Antonio Cabrera, CPA Executive Director Leo Tudela, businessmen Steve Jang and Liling Reyes.
According to Ayuyu, the cruise ship’s visit “is a big thing.”
“It brought a little less than 2,000 visitors,” he added. “This is a big shot to our economy. A lot of these tourists are people with money, and they shopped and spent their money here. The impression I got from the passengers is that our island is a beautiful destination, and very nice,” Ayuyu said.
He said when he and Gov. Arnold I. Palacios met with Department of Defense officials in Washington, D.C. last month, “we impressed upon them that we want to work with them and see what they can do to help develop and expand our ports. Not only for military use but also commercially. I think we can encourage more cruise ships or other shipping companies to come into the port rather than unload out there in the open ocean. The military is very receptive to working with us. Of course everything has to do with funding, but the good thing is that we’re talking to decision-makers, and they know how important the ports are to us,” Ayuyu added.
