Zuiderdam

The 'Zuiderdam' came to the aid of two sailors in distress, who had to abandon a sinking craft,on a cruise to New England and Canada that started on Aug 30, 2025. Just a few hours after setting sail from Boston, Massachusetts, at 6:30 p.m. EDT, the ship was summoned by the US Coast Guard to respond to the sinking boat with the two sailors onboard. The vessel was sailing north toward Portland, Maine, and was located off the US East Coast when the operation began. The 'Zuiderdam' altered course and reached the vessel, safely bringing the castaways onboard. They were subsequently transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard without incident. The 'Zuiderdam 'resumed its voyage, arriving at the next scheduled port of call in Portland, Maine, with no delay or operational impact, on Aug 31.

Passengers aboard the 'Zuiderdam' have been struck by a norovirus outbreak during a 10-night Caribbean cruise, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed. The outbreak was first reported to the CDC on Dec 11, 2024, while the ship was docked in Aruba. The CDC has recorded 74 passengers of the 1,923 onboard as being ill, as well as four of the ship’s 757 crew members, experiencing symptoms such as diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal cramping, headache, and fever. This accounted for less than 4% of the vessel’s guests. The ship had departed from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale on Dec 4 and returned to Port Everglades on Dec 14 after completing its itinerary, which included stops at Half Moon Cay, Grand Turk, Amber Cove, Bonaire, Curaçao, and Aruba.

The Cap-à-l'Aigle Coast Guard ended its operational season on Oct 14, 2024, with the evacuation of a passenger from the 'Zuiderdam' at the request of the Canadian Coast Guard. Rescue boats of the cruise ship carried out the transfer. Three members of the unit were deployed in 15 minutes. Docking at the ship’s platform was very challenging due to the currents and waves created by the cruise ship. Once the passenger was on board,, the SAR boat 'auxiliary 1276' returned to the port to allow paramedics to take over. Report with photos: https://www.lecharlevoisien.com/2024/10/15/evacuation-dune-passagere-dun-bateau-de-croisiere-au-large-de-la-malbaie/

Dozens of climate activists campaigned at the 'Zuiderdam' in the center of Rotterdam on June 11, 2023, which was moored at the Cruise Terminal next to the Erasmus Bridge. Activists affiliated with Extinction Rebellion and the academic branch of that protest movement, Scientist Rebellion, climbed onto bamboo constructions on the quay. By blocking the mooring posts, they wanted to prevent the mooring lines from being disconnected. They tried to prevent the departure of the 'Zuiderdam', but they did not succeed. The vessel departed with some delay at the beginning of the evening.