A new riverboat built for American Cruise Lines, Guilford, Conn., has passed sea trials and is en route to the Columbia and Snake rivers in the Pacific Northwest.
The 180-passenger vessel American Encore departed Chesapeake Shipbuilding, Salisbury, Md., following sea trials last week and began its month-long passage west.
The riverboat is currently traveling along the coastal waterways of the Eastern Seaboard and will next sail through the Caribbean Sea. The vessel is expected to transit the Panama Canal at the end of March before heading north up the Pacific Coast to the mouth of the Columbia River near Astoria, Ore.
The 269'x56 riverboat is being helmed by Capt. Andrew Gillilan along with other officers and crew. American Cruise Lines' fleet operations center in Connecticut monitors the voyage.
American Encore is the eighth riverboat American Cruise Lines has built for the Columbia and Snake rivers. The company has introduced 20 new vessels in the past decade and operates a fleet of 28 small ships for U.S. cruises.
The vessel's inaugural season of cruises along the Columbia and Snake rivers begins May 5 and concludes in mid-November. The company said the season is sold out.
