Chesapeake Shipbuilding Signs Contract

Chesapeake Shipbuilding Corporation of Salisbury, Md., announced that it has signed a contract to design and build a 214-ft. luxury overnight coastal and inland cruiseship. The vessel will be American Flag and operated on domestic cruises within the U.S. This will be the eighth overnight cruise vessel designed and built by Chesapeake Shipbuilding and the third one in the last 4 years. Passenger staterooms will be the largest in the coastal cruise trade, averaging approximately 240 sq. ft. Construction started about 1 week ago and the vessel is expected to be launched in late 2003. The vessel will be powered by twin Caterpillar 3412E diesels. Onboard will be 3 generators: two 260Kw and one 170 Kw. The vessel will also have a 250hp hydraulic bowthruster. The new cruise ship will be equipped with Furuno radars , Northstar GPS Units, Kobelt controls, and Twin Disc reverse gears. The principal dimensions of the ship are: LOA 214 ft., Beam 45 ft. 6 in., The vessel will be constructed of mild steel with some aluminum superstructure.