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American West Steamboat Company News

14 Jan 2004

Feature: Passenger Vessels : What's in Store in 2004?

The passenger vessel market is a classic mature marine market. Segments of it are doing well, while other parts have literally died. For example, the overnight segment of the market saw one substantial vessel delivered in 2003 with none on the horizon for 2004. The Empress of the North, a 360-ft. sternwheeler was put into service in September working the West Coast-Alaska route. Now that ice is a problem in Alaska, the vessel is working the Columbia River system in the Northwest U.S. The vessel was the largest vessel ever built by Nichols Brothers Boat Builders, Freeland, Wash. and is owned by American West Steamboat Company, Portland, Ore. Developing overnight service is the most difficult part of the passenger vessel industry to get established.

18 Apr 2002

EVAC Receives Order to Outfit Empress

Envirovac Inc. received an order from Nichols Brothers Boat Builders for the vacuum collection and treatment system for the "Empress of the North." Owner of the boat is American West Steamboat Company. EVAC will provide a specially designed four ejector/four pump vacuum collection system with 155 wall mounted toilets, 104 vacuum interface valves for gray water collection by vacuum and (2) ORCA IIA-500's for treatment of all black and gray water. The 360-ft. cruise ship to be built at Nichols for the American West Steamboat Company that is designed for extended, overnight cruising. The first vessel "Queen of the West" was launched in 1995. ENVIROVAC provides total marine wastewater management packages.

12 Jun 2002

American West Steamboat Purchases Columbia Queen

American West Steamboat Company is adding a third vessel, the Columbia Queen, to its fleet of luxury overnight small cruise ships that will operate on the Columbia, Willamette and Snake Rivers. In a recent auction held by the Maritime Administration (MARAD), American West Steamboat Company won the bid for the Columbia Queen, formerly owned by American Classic Voyages’ Delta Queen Steamboat Company. MARAD took possession of the Columbia Queen after American Classic Voyages filed bankruptcy in 2002. Pending the close of the sale, American West Steamboat Company will take possession of the Columbia Queen around mid-July at which time she will undergo some refurbishment before her first cruise on the Columbia River in the spring of 2003.

16 Jul 2002

Empress of the North Scheduled for Completion in May 2003

American West Steamboat Company has begun construction of a second sternwheeler cruise ship, the Empress of the North, scheduled for completion in May 2003. The Empress of the North is being built by Nichols Brothers Boat Builders in Freeland, Wash., where her sister ship, the sternwheeler Queen of the West, was completed in 1995. Designed in Seattle by naval architects, Guido Perla & Associates, the Empress of the North will be 360 ft. long and accommodate 236 passengers and 84 crew. The ship will feature 112 all-outside suites and staterooms, of which 105 will have private verandahs. The Empress of the North will operate 11-night cruises between Seattle and Juneau, along the famed Inside Passage of Canada and Alaska beginning June to mid-September, 2003.

16 Jan 2006

Ambassadors International Acquires merican West Cruises

Ambassadors International, Inc., announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Ambassadors Cruise Group, LLC has completed its acquisition of American West Steamboat Company LLC and related entities ("American West Cruises"), one of North America's premier river and coastal cruise companies. The signing of a definitive agreement was previously announced on December 27, 2005.

30 Dec 2005

Ambassadors International to Acquire American West Cruises

Ambassadors International, Inc. announced has signed a definitive agreement to acquire 100% of the membership interests of American West Steamboat Company LLC and related entities from Oregon Rail Holdings, LLC. Founded in 1995, American West Cruises currently operates two vessels, the 231-passenger Empress of the North and the 150-passenger Queen of the West. American West Cruises' voyages are exemplified by their Cruise Into History experience in which guests and crew recreate the grandeur of the past on the company's modern-day sternwheelers with onboard historians and naturalists, visiting historical points of interest and cruising through natural scenic wonders.

28 Dec 2005

Ambassadors International to Acquire American West Cruises

Ambassadors International, Inc. announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire 100% of the membership interests of American West Steamboat Company LLC and related entities ("American West Cruises") from Oregon Rail Holdings, LLC. American West Cruises is one of North America's premier river and coastal cruise companies operating unique, historical and nature-oriented cruise itineraries on the Columbia and Snake rivers, Alaska's Inside Passage, British Columbia and Washington's Puget Sound. Founded in 1995, American West Cruises currently operates two vessels, the 231-passenger Empress of the North and the 150-passenger Queen of the West.

23 Jul 2003

News: Nichols Brothers Launch Sternwheeler

Nichols Brothers Boat Builders of Whidbey Island and Seattle-based American West Steamboat Company, owned by Henry Hillman, Jr., CEO of Oregon Rail Corp., launched the newly constructed overnight sternwheeler cruise ship Empress of the North. The 360-ft. sternwheeler was transferred on a specially designed rail system into Holmes Harbor, where it launched. Designed by Seattle naval architects, Guido Perla & Associates, construction of the Empress of the North began at Nichols Brothers' shipyard in April, 2002. She is the largest ship built by Nichols Brothers, with over 350 employees on the job and approximately 300,000 man-hours involved in the project.

24 Jun 2003

Nichols Brothers Launch Sternwheeler Cruise Ship

Nichols Brothers Boat Builders of Whidbey Island and Seattle-based American West Steamboat Company, owned by Henry Hillman, Jr., CEO of Oregon Rail Corp., have launched the newly constructed overnight sternwheeler cruise ship Empress of the North. Beginning at 5:00am on Monday, June 16, 2003, the 360-foot sternwheeler was transferred on a specially designed rail system into Holmes Harbor, where it launched at high tide at approximately 8:45pm. With the launch open to the public, an estimated 5,000 people showed up for the event. Designed by Seattle naval architects, Guido Perla & Associates, construction of the Empress of the North began at Nichols Brothers’ shipyard in April, 2002.