The Waterways Journal
18 June 2007
By Christina Stueve
The owners of the cruise ship Delta Queen are pushing Congress to approve the exempt status the boat has operated under for the last 40 years.
The exempt status applies to the boat's wooden superstructure. Congress passed a law in 1966 that passenger vessels with more than 49 passengers were required to not only have a steel hull, which the Delta Queen has, but also a steel superstructure.
The Delta Queen is the only vessel operating with an exemption to that law. The last exemption was granted in 1998 for 10 years. Past exemptions have ranged from as little as two to three years up to 10 years. The House of Representatives passed another 10-year extension in 2006, but the bill never made it to the Senate due to mid-term elections.
Majestic America Line operates the vessel. Its parent company is Ambassadors International.
Joseph McCarthy, vice president of corporation development at Ambassadors International Inc., said his company is meeting with members of both houses of Congress.
"We have received strong support from past passengers, and our employees have a strong interest and have written letters and made phone calls on behalf of the Delta Queen," McCarthy said.
The company has also approached city mayors and chambers of commerce in towns along the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers and their tributaries.
"The Delta Queen visits lots of small towns and cities and gives people an opportunity to see those areas and parts of the country that might not be as well served without her on the river," McCarthy said.
The sternwheel passenger boat was built in 1926 and was listed as a National Historic Landmark in 1989.
The Delta Queen went through several owners before entering passenger service in 1948 on the Ohio, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Cumberland rivers between Cincinnati, New Orleans, St. Paul, Chattanooga, Nashville and ports in between.
McCarthy said prospective passengers have been notified that the vessel did not comply with fire safety and standards, due to wooden construction. Areas of the wooden superstructure were replaced with fire-retardant or -resistant materials. A high-volume sprinkler system meeting the National Fire Protection Code requirements was installed throughout the vessel. Advanced smoke and heat detection systems have been installed throughout the vessel.
The Delta Queen supports 130 crew positions, plus the onshore support equivalent to 10 employees, not counting indirect employees.
"She is a reminder of a beautiful and bygone era. She has provided enjoyment and education for thousands of persons and generations of cruisers on the rivers," McCarthy said.