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High-speed catamaran Jet Cat Express, from Gladding-Hearn. Luxury charter yacht Crystal Dolphin, built by Trinity. Singapore Shipbuilding's catamaran Tai Ping. OUTSTANDING Pi & FERRIE Over 45 million passengers are transported annually on American waterways. Din-ner cruises, excursion tours, ferry commuter operations, and a new sector of the passenger vessel mar- ket—riverboat gambling—remain popular choices for many Americans. Interest in the use of ferry services to reduce heavy urban commuter road traffic congestion remains high, while new gambling laws in Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, and Mississippi have spurred a great deal of multimillion-dollar vessel construc- tion and conversion projects. Additionally, in the U.S., as well as other regions around the world, the role of the fast ferry continues to expand, drastically reducing travel- ing times on many coastal routes. The following portfolio commemo- rates some of the most notable and distinctive new vessels in the shal- low-draft market as selected by the editors of MARITIME REPORTER. FOR MORE INFORMATION To obtain free literature on any of the shipyards detailed in this fea- ture article, circle the appropriate Reader Service number on the post- paid card bound into the back of this issue. ALTON CASINO BELLE Bender Shipbuilding Circle 37 on Reader Service Card In the past year, Bender Ship- building & Repair Co., Inc., Mobile, Ala., delivered the first gambling vessel for Illinois, the 156-foot M/V Alton Belle Casino, converted from the dinner cruise boat Empress of Palm Beach, to owners Alton Riverboat Gambling Partnership of Alton, 111. By converting an existing vessel, the owners were able to get an early start on the race to place casino riverboats on the Mississippi River. Bender completed the conversion in only 90 days. The shipyard cut the dinner cruise boat at mid-section and inserted a 50-foot midbody. The vessel was gutted and refitted to accommodate gamingtables and slot machines. The vessel was made handicap accessible and all stair- ways were widened to accommodate ALTON CASINO BELLE Equipment List Main engines Cummins Generator engines Caterpillar Reduction gears Twin Disc Engine controls Schrader Bellows VHF radio Cybernet Radar Furuno HVAC Trane larger crowds. A new electrical sys- tem and a massive Trane heating and air conditioning system were added to meet casino standards. Two 290-kw Caterpillar 3406 B-driven generators were added to the exist- ing two 80-kw Cummins generators to power the new HVAC equipment. The Alton Belle accommodates 600 passengers and 60 crew mem- bers and is equipped with approxi- mately 400 gaming positions. The vessel was designed by Mari- time Design, Inc., of Jacksonville, Fla. Interior design was by Kuhlmann Design Group, Inc., St. Louis, Mo. Gaming equipment was supplied by International Game Technology, Reno, Nev., and sur- veillance equipment was supplied by Electronics Specialists, Inc., of Las Vegas. CHICAGO'S FIRST LADY Steiner Shipyard Circle 38 on Reader Service Card Steiner Shipyard, Bayou La Leevac-built excursion boat Goodtime I 18 Kvaerner Fjellstrand 40-meter Foilcat. Maritime Reporter/Engineering News
