American Cruise Lines has agreed contracts to add four more new-build ships to its fleet by 2027.
This is in addition to six other new ships on the line’s orderbook with Chesapeake Shipbuilding that will be delivered in the next three years.
American Cruise Lines will take delivery of the first of the 10 new ships, American Legend (pictured), this week after it passed sea trials.
The ship will join the line’s Coastal Cat fleet, which are designed for inland exploration along the East Coast and is scheduled for its first cruise on November 25.
Other new ships on order include American Patriot and American Pioneer, which will enter operation in 2025, followed by American Maverick, American Ranger and American Encore in 2026.
More details on the four newbuilds in 2027 will be released in due course.
By 2025, American Cruise Lines will operate 21 small ships in the US, which it claims to be the largest collection of domestic river and coastal itineraries.
A spokesperson for the line told Travel Weekly: “American Cruise Lines is looking forward to its biggest year ever in 2025, with 21 small ships and riverboats exclusively exploring and sailing across the USA, and many more innovative newbuilds to come in the years ahead.”