ACL Order Book Swells to 10
American Cruise Lines (ACL) today announced signed contracts with Chesapeake Shipbuilding for 4 more new ships, bringing the Line’s total orderbook with Chesapeake to 10 ships over the next 3 years. The newbuilds will serve the fast growing U.S. cruise market and will be Jones Act compliant. Active in the domestic cruise market for more than 50 years, the firm will eventually operate 21 small ships around the country.
The 10 new ships from Chesapeake begin with the delivery of American Legend this week. The newest Coastal Cat in American’s fleet passed sea trials and is on schedule for its first cruise on November 25th. Subsequent newbuilds will, according to ACL, roll out every few months over the next 3 years. The order book includes 3 riverboats and 6 additional coastal ships. Details on the 4 additional newbuilds for 2027 were not yet available.
American’s commitment to U.S. River cruising, evidenced by 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 US waters. To that end, American has introduced 19 of the 24 cruise ships built in the U.S. in the past 20 years. All of ACL's passenger vessels are US flagged.