Phillips Orders Catamaran for Glacier Tour

Phillips Cruises & Tours will put a new 131.2 ft., 400 passenger, 35 knot catamaran excursion vessel into service on Prince William Sound in June. The vessel is being built by Nichols Brothers Boat Builders, Inc., for use on Phillips Cruises' "26 Glacier Cruise." It will be the 25th high-speed passenger catamaran to be built by the Whidbey Island, Wash. boatbuilder. The cruise visits 26 glaciers in Prince William Sound on a daily schedule. Phillips took delivery of the first of the passenger catamarans Nichols Brothers built in 1984. Nichols Brothers builds the high-speed catamarans under license from Australia's International Catamarans, Ltd., original designer of the catamaran style excursion and commuter ferries. The Phillips catamaran will be powered by two Detroit Diesel 16V4000 series engines producing 3,110 hp in cruise mode. Engines will drive waterjet propulsion systems. Two 100 kW Northern Lights generators will provide service electricity. In addition, Nichols Brothers will deliver a 144-ft., 37 knot, 450-passenger catamaran to Catalina Cruises, Inc., Long Beach, Calif., in February.