American Cruise Lines (ACL) is planning the construction of a new floating dock in Wrangell, Alaska, according to a report by the Wrangell Sentinel.
The company is reportedly negotiating details of the development plan, which is linked to additional investments by city authorities.
The local news source said that ACL plans to spend $3 million to build a new floating dock on the waterfront of the Alaskan port.
To be located near the Nolan Center, the structure is reportedly designed to accommodate ACL ships during overnight stays.
The Wrangell Sentinel said that both the borough’s port commission and planning and zoning commission have recently recommended assembly approval of a tidelands lease for the dock.
Parties are now discussing a waterfront fill project, which would involve filling two acres with rocks to allow for the deployment of the dock.
In addition to creating an upland site for passenger loading, the new facility could also be used for freight handling and other activities, the Wrangell Sentinel said.
In an interview with the source, Kristin Meira, ACL’s director of government affairs, said that the company is targeting a 2027 in-service date for the dock.
Other reports previously pointed to ACL using the hull of the former American Empress as a foundation for the new floating dock.
Last in service for American Queen Voyages on the Columbia and Snake Rivers, the 2003-built riverboat was acquired by the company during an auction in 2024.
After spending nearly two years sitting in limbo, the 223-passenger vessel is reportedly being scrapped in Alaska.
The Wrangell Sentinel previously stated that the dismantling process was awarded to Tideland Construction and started in November 2025.
The 5,975-ton ship was originally built for American West Steamship Co for coastal cruising in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska.
Then named the Empress of the North, the vessel was designed as a reproduction of an 1800s-era paddlewheeler.
Interiors were originally highlighted by an artwork collection inspired by 19th-century Russia, as well as Native American carved totems and masks.
