It was founded in 1873 as the Netherlands-America Steamship Company. It ran regular trans-Atlantic service between the Netherlands and the United States, and later to the Dutch East Indies also.
In 1971, HAL abandoned its passenger service and switched to running cruise ships fulltime. It has since earned a reputation among cruise lines for classic elegance; the decor of its ships recall the great age of Dutch exploration, and include numerous pieces of original artwork and artifacts.
As of 2003, the line operates about a dozen ships. All have a dark blue hull with white superstructure, and are named after places in the Netherlands with names ending in "dam". Some of the names have been used for different ships over the years.
