River cruise sector expands in US and Europe with moves by niche market players

American Cruise Lines has begun cruises on two new vessels, small coastal cruise ship American Maverick and American Encore, a riverboat sailing the Columbia and Snake rivers in Washington state and Idaho. 

Christened in Newport, Rhode Island in late June, American Maverick is the newest small cruise ship in the US and the latest in American Cruise Line’s growing fleet of ships that are proudly described as "the only 100% US-flagged fleet of riverboats and small ships in the world".

"The American Maverick is the new standard by which others should follow and with eight more ships under construction, shows that the US river cruise market will lead the way," the company’s President and CEO Charles B Robertson said at the vessel’s christening ceremony.

With eight vessels on the way, American Cruise Lines said the delivery of the 130-passenger American Maverick will be followed by the deliveries of American Ranger, American Mariner, and American Navigator over the next year.

The company also launched the US’ newest riverboat, American Encore, in May 2026.

Riverboat American Encore was christened in Lewiston, Idaho, on 12 May during the vessel’s inaugural Columbia and Snake Rivers cruise that left from Stevenson, Washington on 6 May.

The cruise line said its 180-passenger American Encore "underscores the domestic industry’s innovation and furthers the understanding that US river cruising is here to compete with Europe".

In Europe, specialty Dutch shipbuilder Concordia Damen has delivered China-headquartered Century Cruises’ first river cruise ship built specifically for the European market.

The vessel, Century Star, is the first of a series of three sister vessels for the cruise line.

For Century Cruises, the Century Star forms the basis for a long-term presence in the European river cruise market, the line said.. The second vessel in the series of three is expected to be delivered by Concordia Damen in August 2026.

“The delivery of Century Star demonstrates that, as a family-run business, we are capable of entering an entirely new segment in collaboration with international partners," Concordia Damen Managing Director Chris Kornet said.