MIAMI, March 13 -- Holland American Line today announced that
its newest cruise ship will be named ms Rotterdam VI.

This new vessel is scheduled to enter service Aug. 1, 1997 -- in time to
kick off the company's 125th anniversary in 1998. The Rotterdam VI is the
first of a new generation of luxury liners and will be the company's new
flagship.

Holland American Line President and CEO A. Kirk Lanterman made the
announcement today in Miami, where company executives are attending the annual
Seatrade Cruise Shipping Convention.

"The ms Rotterdam VI is a worthy recipient of this treasured name," said
Lanterman, noting that the company was founded in Rotterdam, the Netherlands,
in 1873 and five previous Holland America Line ships have carried the name.

The Rotterdam VI "is built especially for world-class cruising and
around-the-world voyages," said Lanterman. "Her speed will allow her to offer
some of the most exciting itineraries with ease. Her 25-knot speed (nearly 20
percent faster than today's average cruise ship) will allow for the creation
of some new and exciting itineraries. For example, the addition of a new port
of call and four more hours of port time on a traditional 10-day Caribbean
cruise. And her interior space will provide the comfort and grace that our
past passengers have come to expect from the Rotterdam name."

The 62,000-ton, 1,320-passenger ship is under construction at the
Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera, Italy.

The basic design of the Rotterdam VI takes advantage of all the best
features of the "Statendam class" of cruise ships -- the ms Statendam, ms
Maasdam, ms Ryndam and ms Veendam -- that also were built by Fincantieri and
represent the most successful ship design ever built for Holland American
Line. "But, the new Rotterdam also will have some new and special features of
her own," said Lanterman.

"The Rotterdam VI will feature an entire deck of suites with verandahs. In
addition to four Penthouse suites, the ship will have 36 full verandah suites
at 565 square feet each," said Lanterman. This deck also will feature a
special concierge lounge and full concierge service to handle shore excursion
and specialty dining reservations as well as other personalized services.

The Rotterdam VI's 120 deluxe cabins, at 245 square feet, also will feature
a full verandah with chaise lounge, a whirlpool bathtub, VCR, refrigerator and
numerous other conveniences. The balance of the ship's standard cabins will
be 185 to 195 square feet, among the largest available on any cruise ship
today.

"The number of dining choices also will expand on the Rotterdam VI as we
will offer a special alternative dining restaurant. This restaurant will
feature Italian cuisine and will be available to all passengers on the ship,"
said Lanterman.

"Dancing has always been an important activity on our Grand Voyages and the
Rotterdam will feature an additional dance floor in the new Admirals Lounge,"
he continued.

Families traveling together have become a large part of Holland America
Line's passenger mix, particularly when the ships are in Alaska, Lanterman
noted. "To address the special needs of this important group of travelers,
the Rotterdam VI will feature a full-function children's room on the Sports
Deck. This room, with its wrap-around windows and adjacent deck space, also
will be a wonderful continental breakfast location, or meeting room, or a
location for a special reception when the ship is traveling on her extended
itineraries."

In addition, recognizing the growing number of physically challenged
travelers sailing today, three percent of the total number of staterooms on
board the Rotterdam VI -- 20 cabins and the largest number on any ship -- have
been allocated to cater to their special needs. Two of these staterooms will
be suites.

As do the Statendam-class ships -- and the ms Westerdam -- the Rotterdam VI
will have a magrodome over the Lido pool deck. It also will have a two-deck
main dining room aft and a two-deck show lounge forward. However, the new
ship will have three passenger staircases instead of two and all of the public
lounges will be larger than on the Statendam-class ships.

To ensure that the Rotterdam VI's ship architecture celebrates her heritage
and addresses the preferences of Holland America Line's passengers, Lanterman
said that the firm of VFD Interiors, of Utrecht, the Netherlands, and F.C.J.
Dingemans will have overall responsibility for the interior design of the
ship.