Posted on January 19, 2022
Guilford, Conn., headquartered American Cruise Lines has unveiled plans for Project Blueโa fleet 12 identical 109-passenger sister ships of catamaran design.
Operating exclusively in the U.S., they will more than double current capacity for domestic coastal cruises.
โProject Blue started as a design challenge to create a boat small enough for New England harbors and stable enough for the Alaska Inside Passage, with a draft shallow enough for the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway,โ says Charles Robertson, president and CEO of American Cruise Lines. โThese boats can run almost anywhere, and because there will be 12 of them, they will be deployed all over the United States.โ
Like all of American Cruise Lineโs new ships, the entire Project Blue fleet will be built by Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Salisbury, Md. The first two ships are already under construction and are due for delivery in 2023.
Each boat in the Project Blue fleet will accommodate 109 passengers and 50 crew.
They will be 241 feet long, 56 feet wide, and feature a catamaran design that enables both shallow draft access and stable sailing along lakes, rivers, bays, and Americaโs coastline.
โTogether with Chesapeake Shipbuilding, we built the first modern riverboats in the country. Now we are proud to introduce another new ship design for domestic exploration. American has specialized in small ship cruising for over 30 years, and continuing to innovate and expand the possibilities for cruising close to home is central to our mission,โ Robertson elaborated.
American Cruise Lines says that the new fleet will feature elegant modern dรฉcor by Studio DADO of Miami, Fla.
Each ship will offer 56 spacious stateroomsโincluding a range of large standards, suites, and singlesโnearly all with private balconies. Observation and sitting areas will be available at the bow, both inside and outside, and each ship will showcase an expansive forward lounge with 270 degree views. At the stern, the ships will have a new adventure deck equipped with kayaks, tender, and other activity related options relevant to the itinerary. Americanโs new go-anywhere ships will also feature two dining venues, as well as room service, a rarity for small ships of this size.
The first two ships will debut along East Coast itineraries and will be named American Eagle and American Gloryโnamesakes of the companyโs first two small U.S.-built ships.
