Captain Robert Jan Kan

Ship: Koningsdam

Born into a seafaring family in Wormerveer, the Netherlands, Captain Robert Jan Kan had a natural affinity for the sea. He studied at the Nautical Academy in Amsterdam, only a short distance from his hometown.

He later served as a deck and engineering officer on cargo ships owned by the Nedlloyd Group in 1991 (now a division of Maersk Container Lines).

In 1993, he was given the opportunity to join Holland America Line and has been moving up the ranks since.

After receiving his initial assignment as master on Rotterdam in 2009, Captain Kan then obtained a second appointment as master on Amsterdam.