Page 26: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (May 1996)

U.S. Flag Cruise-To-Nowhere Vessel Headed Te Florida

Bender Shipbuilding & Repair

Co., Inc., Mobile, Ala., has con- tracted with Atlantic Cruise Lines,

Inc. to deliver 450-ft. (137.2-m)

U.S.-flagged entertainment vessel

M/V Latin Quarter for operation in southwest Florida's cruise-to- nowhere trade.

Latin Quarter is the first vessel owned by Atlantic Cruise Lines,

Inc. of Florida. The company has wide ranging plans for future growth, including the addition of several similar entertainment ves- sels that will operate from selected

U.S. ports in the cruise-to-nowhere trade. "We hope to operate out of Port

Everglades because we will have the only five-star cruise-to- nowhere outfit in Florida," said

Atlantic's spokesman William D.

San Hamel. "We consider Port

Everglades to be the nation's pre- eminent cruise port, home base to many of the world's leading luxury cruise ships. Because of our five- star status, Latin Quarter belongs with the premier cruise ships. We expect to bring credit to Port

Everglades."

Guido Perla & Associates has been named Latin Quarter's naval architect. Paul Steelman Archi- tects of Las Vegas will create the interior design using an art-deco theme. Delivery of the vessel is expected in December 1996.

For more information on Bender

Circle 62 on Reader Service Card tions. It was first instituted on

Sea Goddess I in October 1994.

Shortly after, Royal Viking Sun,

Vistafjord, Sagafjord, and Sea

Goddess II added the Com- munications Concession to their portfolios.

For more information on COMSAT

Circle 63 on Reader Service Card

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COMSAT Offers

Communications

Concession To

Cruise Lines

COMSAT Mobile Investments has announced the launching of a program under which cruise lines can reportedly expand their telecommunications facili- ties while turning the radio room into a profit center.

Communications Concession is a turnkey program in which

COMSAT creates and adminis- ters a total maritime telecom- munications service package for cruise ships. This includes hiring personnel, purchasing new equipment, passenger call accounting, providing satellite services for ship business and all other aspects of radio room operations.

Together, the cruise line and

COMSAT will evaluate current communications equipment on ships to decide what combina- tion of technologies are most highly suited to ships' require- ments, while maximizing rev- enues and business efficiency.

COMSAT provides the addi- tional capital required for the new equipment, and is also responsible for maintenance and repairs. The cruise line does not have to make capital investment for new equipment.

COMSAT reportedly hires a qualified GMDSS-certified radio crew for each ship. COM-

SAT trains the radio officers in

Inmarsat A,B,C and M systems, as well as specialized credit billing services and onboard accounting systems.

Initial trials of the Com- munications Concession took place on several Cunard ships, according to Kathryn Y. Hol- man, vice president of sales,

COMSAT Mobile Communica- 28 Circle 202 on Reader Service Card Maritime Reporter/Engineering News