BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - The American Countess is set to join the American Queen Steamboat Co.'s fleet in April.
The company offers Mississippi River cruises that call on New Orleans, Baton Rouge and St. Francisville.
The Advocate reports the Countess will accommodate 260 passengers and have about 100 crew members.
American Queen Steamboat's vice president of marine operations, Gary Frommelt, announced the addition Tuesday at a travel and tourism forum sponsored by Visit Baton Rouge. The Countess joins the American Queen and American Duchess in the New Orleans to Memphis cruises.
The Countess was built in Houma by a subsidiary of Gulf Island Fabrication. The cruise ship was built using the hull of the Kanesville Queen, a gambling boat that was built in 1995.
Frommelt says about 20% of its passengers are international visitors.
