Austal Sells Second Vessel into NY Market

Austal USA has signed a contract with Cloud Nine of New York to construct a 135 ft. dinner cruise monohull. This is the second sale by Austal USA to the New York market this year and will further showcase the company’s ability to deliver a high quality, customised product. Austal’s Managing Director, Bob McKinnon said the sale of the new monohull is a strong indication of the immediate success of Austal USA in delivering vessels to the US domestic market. “We are very pleased to see that orders for Austal USA are progressing well,” McKinnon said. “There is certainly a very active market for this type of vessel and our US yard is well placed to deliver them.” Cloud Nine specialise in offering private, luxury dinner cruises for social and corporate groups and have developed a large base of repeat customers. The New York based company currently operate a 95ft dinner cruise monohull and this new larger Austal USA vessel, due for delivery to New York during April 2003, will enable Cloud Nine to cater for larger groups. The new vessel will operate at a service speed of 16 knots offering their 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 close run by the Statue of Liberty. New itineraries are also planned with this new vessel. Capable of accommodating up to 149 guests, the aluminium monohull will be particularly suited to private and corporate functions and will feature a large galley for full on-board catering, two bars, dance floors and a bridal suite for the very popular wedding functions held on board. The vessel will be designed and built to 46 CFR Subchapter T regulations and features 2 x Cummins KTA 38M0 diesel engines rated at 800bhp each and a 100 hp tunnel thruster forward. Cloud Nine has obtained finance from CitiCapital in New York to fund the purchase of the vessel from Austal USA.