Meet HAL's senior staff

[Copper10-8]

Captain Edward van Zaane

Captain Edward G. van Zaane was born in Den Haag (The Hague), the Netherlands. He went to sea in 1977 as an ordinary seaman and sailed on heavy-lift cargo ships and made several expeditions on a deep-sea research vessel. He graduated with honors from the Nautical College in Den Helder.

 

Joining Holland America Line in 1981 as a Fourth Officer on the SS Statendam, he quickly worked his way up the ranks, serving on all types of the Line's passenger vessels. While sailing on various Grand Voyages, he visited most countries and ports of the world. He became Captain on the Rotterdam V in 1994.



When not at sea, Captain van Zaane resides in The Hague, close to the sea, where he also spends his leasure time.

[Copper10-8]

Captain Jonathan Mercer

Captain Jonathan Mercer joined the British Merchant Navy in 1968 as an apprentice with the British & Commonwealth Shipping Company. He attended a training school in the south of England for six months prior to going to sea for the first time. His first voyage lasted 1 1/2 years and took him to South and East Africa, India and the Mediterranean. Later assignments took him to the Great Lakes, where he first experienced the hospitality of the American people. He returned to England in 1971 and qualified for his Second Mate's Certificate. He then went back to sea as Third Officer on general cargo ships, traveling worldwide. He qualified for his First Mate's Certificate in 1975 and then saw service as Second Officer on passenger vessels operating between England and South Africa before being transferred to container ships running to the same destinations.

In 1979 he had sufficient experience and 'sea time' to be able to sit for his Master's Certificate and having gained this qualification, he joined Townsend Thoresen Ferries. He was promoted to Captain in 1989 and served in this capacity until 1994 when he was offered the position of U.K. terminal manager at the Channel Tunnel. He could not however, forget his first love, the sea, and returned to sea in 1996 as Captain of the MS Veendam.



When on leave he lives in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Salt water is in his veins and his hobby is windsurfing, which he has done for 18 years. Subsequently he prays for wind when on vacation and that it remains calm when back on one of the 'Dam' ships.

[Copper10-8]

That's all I've got folks except for some that are definitely no longer with the company. Feel free to add your own of those who are not yet represented here i.e. C/D Drew Murdock;) and/or if you want to e-mail me their bio's, I'll do it for ya! ;)

[Atomica]

OK, I've got one more that's not up here:

 

Captain James Russell Dunford

 

James Russell-Dunford was born in Southern England. He first went to sea as a cadet on cargo ships at the age of 18. While he enjoyed the life, he always had a great desire to work on passenger ships. James studied at nautical colleges in England for various officer certificates and, in 1978 joined the Cunard Passenger Division as 2nd Officer, shortly therafter passing his Master Mariners Certificate. He soon worked his way through the ranks to become the youngest Chief Officer of the transatlantic liner QE2. In 1982 his ship was taken over by the Ministry of Defense in England, spending nine months in the South Atlantic transporting various personnel between Ascension Island and the Falkland Islands during and after the "Falkland Islands Conflict".

 

After 18 years of sailing the world with Cunard, James wanted a change so that he could spend more time with his family. He decided to work on large passenger cruise ferries based in various ports of the United Kingdom and was soon promoted to Captain of the world's largest ferries. While on holiday in Tobago in 1998, the Wind Surf was at anchor in the harbor, and James realized how much he missed working on cruise ships. Eight weeks later, he started working with Holland America Line. While not sailing the world, he lives at home in a small fishing village in Cornwall, England.

[Copper10-8]

Thanks for adding him, Aaron!:)

 

I know HAL has a Captain who is still in the Royal Netherlands Navy Reserve and therefor has the right to fly a Navy ensign (see below) from his HAL vessel. Just don't know his name

 

[Love Cruises]

That's all I've got folks except for some that are definitely no longer with the company. Feel free to add your own of those who are not yet represented here i.e. C/D Drew Murdock;) and/or if you want to e-mail me their bio's, I'll do it for ya! ;)

All I can say is THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

 

What a fantastic idea to list all these HAL employees. I so enjoyed reading this thread and looking at the pictures.

 

Wouldn't it be a great idea if we all added on to it along the way.

 

Again, thanks so much for all your input!!!!!!

[GmaPajama]

Absolutely fantastic thread! The only one I've ever printed out for future reference. Thanks, Copper 10-8, for all your effort here - it is very much appreciated.

 

Donna

[LizB1]

Thanks for adding him, Aaron!:)

 

I know HAL has a Captain who is still in the Royal Netherlands Navy Reserve and therefor has the right to fly a Navy ensign (see below) from his HAL vessel. Just don't know his name

 

 

John, I believe you are referring to Captain Pieter van Mourik. Also Captain Pieter Visser is a retired Dutch Naval Officer.

 

Liz

[Copper10-8]

John, I believe you are referring to Captain Pieter van Mourik. Also Captain Pieter Visser is a retired Dutch Naval Officer.

 

Liz

 

Thanks a lot for the refresh, Liz! It was van Maurik I was thinking of. Since he's still considered "active reserve" in the Dutch Navy, he's the only HAL captain who can fly the Navy flag from the stern of his ship as opposed to the Dutch national flag

[Sunshine91]

Capt. John Scott

Captain John Scott originally joined Holland America Line in 1995 in order to take up the challenge of Chief Officer/Relief Master of the ms Veendam. He previously served as Chief Officer for Cunard on the Queen Elizabeth 2. He also served as captain on the msy Wind Surf during her introduction into service for Windstar Cruises, a subsidiary company of Holland America Line. In 1999, Scott left Holland America Line in order to develop his industry experience further. He took a shore-based position with Crystal Cruises as their Marine Superintendent.

Not only is Captain Scott looking forward to bringing out the Noordam as the first Holland America Line ship to be introduced incorporating the complete Signature of Excellence enhancements, but his desire is to engender the same “Noordam” team spirit that existed on her predecessors. Captain Scott’s favorite cruising destination is the Mediterranean, but he particularly appreciates the beauty and history of Dubrovnik, Croatia and also Tallinn, Estonia in the Baltic. Scott started his career as an apprentice with the Union Steamship Company of New Zealand and gained experience sailing on a variety of general and specialty cargo vessels before joining Cunard.

******I've read here on CC that 2 captains are alternating on Noordam, but that Capt. Scott is currently her master.***********

[Sunshine91]

Hotel Manager Stan Kuppens

While growing up in the town if Nijmegen, on the eastern side of the Netherlands, Stan enjoyed watching and sailing on different vessels traveling up and down the rivers Waal and Rhine. A frequent world traveler with his parents, Stan developed a fascination for other cultures and meeting people throughout the world. However, his greatest passion was the sport of soccer. In his late teens, Stan was offered a professional soccer contract in the Netherlands. However, he made the decision to keep soccer as a hobby, turning the offer down. Stan recognized he needed to find a way to combine his love for travel, and his appreciation for hospitality. After enrolling in Hotel School, Stan managed a catering company, overseeing the service at conventions and entertainment functions. His proudest moment was having the distinct honor of personally serving Her Majesty, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.

After graduation, he immediately applied to Holland America, and was hand selected to be a part of the Management Trainee program, a multi-year agenda which provides detailed training in all aspects of the Hotel Department, eventually leading to the Hotel Manager position. Since then, Stan has sailed with Holland America and Windstar for 15 years, including the preparation and sailing of multiple Grand World Voyages. After completing the 2002 Grand World Voyage as Food and Beverage Manager, Stan was provided the opportunity to sail as Hotel Manager, and given the prime assignment to the flagship of Holland America. He is proud to represent the Noordam here in the Caribbean, and will do his utmost to ensure each and every guest enjoys the “Signature of Excellence” the Holland America Line is known for.

*******What I seem to remember Stan saying was that he was going to sail Noordam as the "take-out" HotMan until she returned to Europe this past spring. Then he was going to work on the new build which we all now know is Eurodam. If anyone knows differently, please chime in. :) **********

[Toschie]

Recently I sailed with a couple that I do not see mentioned on this board, anybody able to add to these two. Captian Bos, and Captian Van der Zee, recently I heard the latter as described as :-

 

well... he is Dutch. Wooden Shoes.

Wooden head. Wouldn't listen!

[Copper10-8]

Thanks for contributing Susan!:)

 

Recently I sailed with a couple that I do not see mentioned on this board, anybody able to add to these two. Captian Bos, and Captian Van der Zee, recently I heard the latter as described as :-

 

well... he is Dutch. Wooden Shoes.

Wooden head. Wouldn't listen!

 

Sailed with Weiger "Charley" van der Zee once but he wasn't a captain yet. He was Chief Officer. All Dutch boys/men have wooden shoes;)

 

We also still need Captain Johannes 'Hans' Mateboer

[LemonZest]

*******What I seem to remember Stan saying was that he was going to sail Noordam as the "take-out" HotMan until she returned to Europe this past spring. Then he was going to work on the new build which we all now know is Eurodam. If anyone knows differently, please chime in. :) **********

 

We had the pleasure of having dinner with Stam on board Statendam about two weeks ago. He is currently assigned there until he will be moving himself and his family to Venice, where he will oversee interior work on the Eurodam.

 

This is per his personal statement to our group at table.

 

LZ

[rkacruiser]

CAPTAIN HANS MATEBOER

 

Captain Mateboer was born in the small town of Genemuiden in the eastern part of the Netherlands. Living on a river and seeing an occasional seagoing ship pass by, he decided at an early age not to join the family business, but to become a sea captain. After leaving the Merchant Marine Academy in 1975, he spent his first 5 years at sea on virtually every type of cargo ship, sailing to every corner of the world under the Dutch, Danish, and British flags. In 1980, he joined Holland America Line and shortly thereafter was appointed Safety Officer during the construction of the last incarnation of the Noordam and subsequently has been involved in four newbuilds. He became Captain in 1993 on the brand new MS Statendam, where he also met his future wife during a cruise in the Baltic. They make their home in North Carolina.

[rkacruiser]

Also, Captain Mateboer is a published author. His book, The Captain's Log, is an excellent read and rather humorous. He also writes a column for the quarterly publication "Cruise Industry News".

[Copper10-8]

Thanks for contributing, RKAcruiser! You're right, "The Captain's log" is great reading. The Chapter entitled "Lisa" on page 106 tells the very funny story how he met his wife and how he has this whole elaborate "scheme" to have her invited to the captain's table for dinner which didn't really work out as planned:D

[Copper10-8]

Pic of Captain John Scott, the Kiwi

[AWED23]

:D Just a plain thank you John....Well done!...Rob:cool:

[Copper10-8]

:D Just a plain thank you John....Well done!...Rob:cool:

 

Hey thanks Rob!:)

There's room for more if anyone has them:

Captains:

Chris Turner

Arjen van der Loo

Henk Draper

Maurits Groothuis

Peter Bos

Albert Schoonderbeek

Peter Harris

Peter Visser

Weiger "Charley" van der Zee

Jeroen van Donselaar

Henk Keijer

Hotel Managers:

Kees Strueding

Simon de Boer

Nick Burger (he might have left)

Brian McNeil

Bert van Meckelenberg

Willem Cruijsberg

Fekko Ebbens

Firmin van Walle

Edwin Mahn

Mark Pells

Diderik van Regemorter (also possibly left)

Ron Bontenbal

Rene Tuinman

Henk Mensink

Cruise Directors:

Drew Murdock

Jill Tasker

plus there's got to be many more

[gophercruiser]

Nick Burger, most recently the Hotel Manager on the Veendam has transferred to purchasing in their Seattle head office of Hal. This happened I believe about eight months ago.

[Chivalrygirl]

John, you do not have James Russell-Dunford in your list. I have a cruise magazine here dated summer 2005/2006 on career captains, that lists for HAL Russell-Dunford, Jeroen van Donselaar and Andrianus van der Loo with pics of the three of them.

[PRINSENDAM]

Pic of Captain John Scott, the Kiwi

 

 

John,

 

 

I wonder if anyone recognises the other person in the photo with John Scott?

 

Let's see who comes up with the right answer!

 

Stephen

[PRINSENDAM]

CAPTAIN HANS MATEBOER

 

Captain Mateboer was born in the small town of Genemuiden in the eastern part of the Netherlands. Living on a river and seeing an occasional seagoing ship pass by, he decided at an early age not to join the family business, but to become a sea captain. After leaving the Merchant Marine Academy in 1975, he spent his first 5 years at sea on virtually every type of cargo ship, sailing to every corner of the world under the Dutch, Danish, and British flags. In 1980, he joined Holland America Line and shortly thereafter was appointed Safety Officer during the construction of the last incarnation of the Noordam and subsequently has been involved in four newbuilds. He became Captain in 1993 on the brand new MS Statendam, where he also met his future wife during a cruise in the Baltic. They make their home in North Carolina.

 

 

 

I first met Hans in June 1977 when he was 3rd Officer in a ship called the FLINTSHIRE owned by Ocean Fleets. I was 2nd Officer in a ship called LOCH LOMOND at the time. The ships were docked in Hull, NE England at the time. I went over to visit FLINTSHIRE with our Ch. Officer who had previously sailed with Ocean Fleets. Next time I met Hans was in 94 when he was master of the MAASDAM. We were talking about our old ships and then realised that we had met before.

 

His biography make no mention of the fact that he was first master on the DISNEY MAGIC and worked for them for four or five years before returning to HAL.

 

Stephen

[Copper10-8]

John, you do not have James Russell-Dunford in your list. I have a cruise magazine here dated summer 2005/2006 on career captains, that lists for HAL Russell-Dunford, Jeroen van Donselaar and Andrianus van der Loo with pics of the three of them.

 

CG, you will find James Russel-Dunsford's bio on post #54 of this thread by Atomica/Aaron! How 'bout scanning those three pics from your magazine and posting them here?:)

Gophercruiser; thanks for the heads up on Nick Burger!

Stephen; I can give out some hints;) There's at least one regular and well travelled poster here who knows and has met that lady in person;) We had a conversation with Hans Mateboer in OCT 03 when he was Chief Officer on Oosterdam. He had just returned to HAL from Disney and was a very happy camper!