Hull Completed On First In Series Of Cruise Vessels

Hull Completed On First In Series Of Cruise Vessels

American Classic Unit Will Operate Fleet Of Five U.S.-Flagged Vessels Along Coasts

The hull for one of two coastal cruise vessels nears completion at Atlantic Marine in Jacksonville, Fla. The U.S. shipyard is building the vessels for Delta Queen Coastal Voyages, a subsidiary of American Classic Voyages. Delta Queen is plannings a series of up to five such vessels for operation along U.S. coastlines, inland waterways and on the Great Lakes.

      Well on the way toward completing two U.S.-flag cruise vessels on schedule, U.S. shipyard Atlantic Marine of Jacksonville, Fla., announced March 8 that the hull of the first vessel had been finished for American Classic Voyages.
     American Classic (ACV) is building up to five coastal and inland waters passenger vessels at the yard for operation in the Passenger Vessel Services Act trades along the U.S. coastlines and rivers. The vessels, with approximate capacities of 226 passengers or more, will be operated by ACV subsidiary Delta Queen Coastal Voyages. The vessels will be manned in licensed positions by American Maritime Officers.
     The modules that comprise the first of the 300-foot cruise vessels have been joined and the main engines and generators have been installed. Construction of the superstructure of the first vessel and of the hull of the second vessel is underway, the yard said.
     This project and others to build ships and boats in U.S. shipyards for operation under U.S. registry in the Passenger Vessel Services Act trades are jeopardized by misguided legislative efforts to repeal or amend the cabotage law.
     ACV has selected Hopeman Brothers Marine Interiors LLC of Waynesboro, Va., to perform the joiner work on the coastal cruise vessels. Hopeman Brothers has a long history with ACV projects, having completed similar work on the U.S.-flag paddlewheeler American Queen, which was launched by ACV subsidiary Delta Queen Steamboat Company in 1995. Hopeman is also one of the companies contracted by ACV to perform joiner work on two new 1,900-passenger U.S.-flag deep-sea cruise ships being built at U.S. shipyard Litton Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss.
     "Hopeman Brothers is one of the most respected names in the shipbuilding industry and the expertise we gained through our partnership with them on the American Queen is proving valuable as we progress with our other newbuild projects," said Philip Calian, chief executive officer of ACV.
     The deep-sea cruise ships, being built as part of Project America, will also be manned in licensed positions by American Maritime Officers. ACV subsidiary American Hawaii Cruises operates the U.S.-flag deep-sea cruise ship SS Independence in the Hawaiian Islands trades. The company will soon bring the 1,214-passenger MS Patriot, a deep-sea cruise ship recently acquired from Holland America Lines and reflagged under U.S. registry, into the Hawaiian trades as part of Project America.
     In addition to the American Queen, the Delta Queen Steamboat Co. operates the Delta Queen and Mississippi Queen, both authentic paddlewheel steamboats that offer voyages along America's heartland rivers.
     American Classic recently purchased the Columbia Queen, a U.S.-flag cruise vessel currently being refurbished for Passenger Vessel Services Act itineraries in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. The vessel will be operated by the Delta Queen Steamboat Company.
     The new coastal and inland waters cruise vessels currently under construction at Atlantic Marine are being modeled to resemble similar vessels of the previous century. The initial itineraries for these vessels will begin in 2001 along the U.S. East Coast, Great Lakes, the Caribbean and Mexico. Later, as the series is completed, itineraries will include Alaska and other U.S. West Coast routes.
     The vessels will feature classic nautical decor, modern amenities and state-of-the-art safety technology. These vessels, as well as the other ships being built by American Classic Voyages, represent an investment of hundreds of millions of dollars in the U.S. cruise industry under the Passenger Vessel Services Act.
     Repeal of the crucial cabotage law would open the itineraries to be sailed by these new U.S.-built, U.S.-flag vessels to foreign interests and cruise operators, such as Carnival Corporation. These foreign companies build their ships in foreign shipyards, which are often heavily subsidized by the governments of the nations in which they are located. They crew their vessels with foreign nationals, many of whom work for a fraction of the U.S. minimum wage. They operate outside of U.S. labor, tax, safety and environmental laws, paying very little or no corporate income tax in the U.S. or elsewhere on what can amount to billions of dollars in annual earnings.
     If forced to compete with these foreign cruise lines in U.S. domestic itineraries, U.S.-flag cruise operators, such as ACV, would be placed at an insurmountable competitive disadvantage. U.S.-flag operators servicing the Passenger Vessel Services Act trades comply with the above mentioned laws, manning their vessels with American citizens, building their vessels in U.S. shipyards and paying taxes in the U.S. The vessels operated by U.S.-flag companies must meet the stringent safety and environmental standards of the U.S. Coast Guard.
     Rather than seeking repeal of the Passenger Vessel Services Act, recent legislation introduced by Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) encourages further private investment in the U.S. cruise industry by U.S. companies through tax incentives. U.S. cruise vessel newbuild projects create thousands of jobs for American citizens--stable employment with U.S. shipyards, seafaring jobs aboard completed vessels and a variety of jobs in U.S. ports and in maritime support industries nationwide.

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