On 24 March 1988 the cruise company Home Lines was purchased by Holland America Line (HAL), along with its two ships, Atlantic and Homeric. The 30,262grt Atlantic (1981) did not meet HAL’s requirements and was chartered to Premier Cruise Line, but Homeric (1986) entered HAL service as the 42,092grt Westerdam, running alongside HAL’s three other ships: the venerable 38,646grt flagship Rotterdam (V) dating from 1959, and the 33,930grt twin sisters Nieuw Amsterdam and Noordam of 1983/1984.
HAL soon contracted for Westerdam to be lengthened 130ft by her original builders, Meyer Werft at Papenburg, at a cost of US$84 million, work which meant her size increased to 53,872grt and lower bed passenger numbers went up from 1,132 to 1,476.
Between placing the contract and the work being carried out, however, HAL was purchased, on 15 January’s lengthening, deeming that it would be more cost-effective to build new ships rather than lengthen existing ones.
