The Grande Caribe is a small cruise ship from the US shipping company Blount Small Ship Adventures, which is mainly used in coastal areas. The ship was built in the mid-1990s after an idea by shipbuilder and owner Luther Blount (1916–2006) at his own shipyard in Warren (Rhode Island) and was put into service in 1997. An extensive renovation took place in 2009.
The special features of the Grande Caribe are the extremely shallow draft , the low superstructures with a lowerable wheelhouse and the narrow lowerable bow ramp integrated into the hull contour , which passengers can use to enter and leave the ship near the beach or on the banks of the river. Around half of the 48 comparatively small cabins are located on two decks within the hull contour, the other cabins are housed in the flat superstructures. The ship also has a restaurant and lounge .
It is driven by two 12-cylinder diesel engines of the type Caterpillar 3412D via gearboxes on two propellers.
The Grande Caribe is used for travel in the coastal waters of New England , the US East Coast and Central America . The design of the ship also allows it to navigate rivers, canals and coastal waterways such as the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway .
