The Spree (German roughly: “ excursion ”, “ joyride ”) is a US diving safari boat built in 1976 that is used in Florida and the Caribbean . In October 2014, it was the first ship under the American flag since 1962 to go to Cuba with passengers with an official permit .
The ship was in 1976 with the Hull number 118 by the company Swift Ships as so-called "Crew boat", transporting personnel and smaller cargo such as spare parts and food between offshore facilities (such as drilling rigs , production platforms , wind turbines , substations and research platforms) Housing ships and coast, built. In 1993 it was converted into a liveaboard dive boat. Since 2002 it has been operated with home port Key West , Florida , by the company Spree Expeditions Inc. for diving expeditions in the Caribbean.
The 141- BRT Schiff ( IMO number 8748402) with aluminum - hull is 30.48 meters long and 6.83 m wide and 2.13 m depth . The load capacity is 47 tdw . The ship has three diesel engines of the type 12V71TI of Detroit Diesel 1500 hp total power a top speed of 14 knots , providing one-time speed of 10 knots. The Spree can accommodate up to 24 dipping guests (in four cabins, each having four and a cabin with eight in diving expeditions in American waters berths ); a maximum of 12 passengers are allowed when traveling outside the US. The crew consists of up to eight men, depending on the purpose of the trip.
Special
From October 24th to 30th, 2014 the Spree , chartered by the Gulf Reefs Environmental Action Team (GREAT) , was on a diving expedition in Cuba with US and Cuban permits. This made it the first American passenger ship since 1962 to go to Cuba with official approval, ahead of cruise ships and ferries.
