American Cruise Lines pens contracts for four more ships
American Cruise Lines has signed contracts with Chesapeake Shipbuilding for four more new ships, bringing the line’s total orderbook to 10 vessels over the next three years
Each of the newbuilds will operate in the US, which the company claimed was the “fastest growing” segment of the river cruise industry.
The 10 new ships from Chesapeake begin with the delivery of American Legend, which passed sea trials and is on schedule for its first cruise on 25 November.
The remaining newbuilds on order, American Patriot and American Pioneer for 2025 and American Maverick, American Ranger and American Encore for 2026, will roll out every few months over the next three years.
More details on the four additional newbuilds for 2027 will be released in due course.
“American’s commitment to US river cruising is longstanding, but the rapid expansion of the company’s fleet in just the past several years is demonstrative of the growing interest and demand for world-class cruise experiences in the United States,” the line said.
American Cruise Lines has introduced 19 of the 24 cruise ships built in the US in the past 20 years.
The company, which operates the only 100% US flagged fleet of riverboats and small ships in the world, said it remains “fully committed” to introducing only new small ships built specifically for domestic cruising.
It comes after the line placed an order for seven new-build vessels, all of which are scheduled for delivery before the end of 2026. The new additions include six Project Blue series vessels and a new river ship, which will be similar to its sister ships with several new design elements.
