Austal USA Launches Second Dinner Cruise Vessel

41.1 metre monohull for tours of the New York skyline.

Austal USA has launched its fifth vessel from its yard in Mobile, Alabama. The 41.1 metre dinner cruise monohull, “Cloud Nine” was successfully launched into the Mobile River on March 31, 2003 and will be delivered to New York in early May. It is the second dinner cruise vessel built at Austal USA’s modern shipbuilding facility.

The vessel’s owner, New York-based Cloud Nine, specialises in offering private, luxury dinner cruises for social and corporate groups and has developed a large base of repeat customers. It currently operates an 26 metre dinner cruise monohull and this new, larger Austal USA vessel will enable the company to cater for larger groups and to offer new itineraries.

For the launch “Cloud Nine” (Hull 609) was slowly rolled out onto a barge. As the vessel moved forward and put more weight on the barge, water was pumped from the barge to maintain constant freeboard. The barge was then taken to a dry dock at Bender Shipbuilding and Repair and the vessel was floated off and docked at Austal USA’s jetty.

Capable of accommodating up to 149 guests, the new aluminium monohull is particularly suited to private and corporate functions and features a large galley for full onboard catering, two bars, dance floors and a bridal suite for the very popular wedding functions held onboard.

Designed and built by Austal USA to 46 CFR Subchapter T regulations, “Cloud Nine” is powered by two Cummins KTA 38 - M0 diesel engines, each rated at 596kW. A 75kW tunnel thruster fitted forward will ensure precise manoeuvring.

The new vessel will operate at a service speed of 16 knots offering Cloud Nine’s trademark "New York Skyline Tours" departing from Queens (near the Shea Stadium) or Manhattan (at East 23rd St). The cruises typically operate for a period of four hours and incorporate the East River and part of the Hudson River. One of the typical highlights is a run close to the Statue of Liberty.

Current activity at the Mobile yard includes a 43 metre high speed passenger catamaran being built for the Circle Line-Statue of Liberty Ferry Company in New York City. Circle Line transports thousands of passengers each day to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The new catamaran is designed to meet Circle Line’s requirements for a vessel capable of fulfilling a number of different roles.

PRINCIPAL PARTICULARS – “Cloud Nine”
Length Overall: 41.1 metres
Length Waterline: 36.0 metres
Beam (moulded): 9.1 metres
Hull Depth (moulded): 3.5 metres
Maximum Draft: 2.2 metres
Passengers: 149
Crew: 3 operational; 9 hotel

Propulsion
Main engines: 2 x Cummins KTA 38 - M0; 596kW each at 1800rpm
Gearboxes: 2 x reversing
Propellers: 2 x fixed pitch
Gensets: 2 x Cummins 6CTA8.3-D(M)

Performance
Speed (@ 70% MCR): 16 knots
Fuel consumption: 300 litres per hour