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Seen on Elliott Bay; Emerald Queen paddle wheeler sold

The Emerald Queen paddle wheel boat that served as a casino in Fife from 1997 to 2004 has been sold. It was seen on Elliott Bay on Feb. 23.

Photo by Greg Haapla

Thu, 02/23/2023

information from the Puyallup Tribe

The Puyallup Tribe’s Emerald Queen Riverboat has a new owner and will be repurposed.

Anchored on the Blair Waterway, the riverboat served the Tribe as a floating casino from 1997 to 2004. Today the Tribe operates two Emerald Queen Casinos, one in Fife and one in Tacoma that opened in 2020.

In recent years it was a familiar sight to customers at the Tribe’s annual Firecracker Alley fireworks market.

“The riverboat served our Tribe well and laid the foundation for us to open and operate the two premier casinos in the Northwest,” the Puyallup Tribal Council said.

Spectral Crane and Marine will be taking over ownership of the boat, which began its journey to Seattle by tugboat on Thursday. Moving the riverboat will open up more of the Tribe’s port property for economic development.

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Emerald Queen Casino Paddlewheeler

Northwest Yachtnet invites you aboard a truly unique new listing—the classic 300-foot-long paddlewheeler that once housed the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma.

For the Broker’s Best section, we pride ourselves for covering a wide variety of used sail and powerboats available in the Pacific Northwest. This month, however, may be one of the first times we have featured one that is nearly 300 feet long, has more than 70,000 square feet of space on four decks, weighs 400 tons, and is big enough to comfortably accommodate 2,000 guests. Oh, and it’s also powered by a giant wooden stern wheel instead of a propeller.

Behold the Emerald Queen , the former floating gambling palace that had been moored at the Blair Waterway on the Tacoma waterfront for the last 25 years as part of the Emerald Queen Casino, owned by the Puyallup Tribe of Indians.

Built in 1995 by Louisiana-based Quality Shipyard and Kehl River Boats at a cost of $15 million, the steel Emerald Queen was designed to look like the classic paddlewheel riverboats that used to ply the waters of the Mississippi River in the 19 th century. Balustraded exterior walkways and lush interior amenities evoke the buildings of the French Quarter in New Orleans. The grande dame made her way from Houma, Louisiana, to Tacoma in 1997, not under her own power but towed on a barge by the Northwest tugboat Drew Foss , on a month-long journey south across the Gulf of Mexico, through the Panama Canal, and up the West Coast to Puget Sound.

But after its gamble paid off with many years in the casino business, the Puyallup Tribe knew when to hold ‘em, knew when to fold ‘em and retired the vessel as a casino in 2004. The ship is now moored next to Tacoma’s “Firecracker Alley” and is up for sale by the Tribe. The boat’s total interior space measures more than 70,000 square feet (23,400 square feet for the casino; 25,320 square feet for the lounge) and can be accessed by three gangways to the second deck and one gangway to the main deck.

The boat is equipped with two elevators: one 3,500-pound-capacity passenger elevator forward and a 10,000-pound-capacity freight elevator aft. The most striking interior feature, however, is the opulent forward grand staircase, which connects three decks inside an open atrium lit by a large hanging chandelier. 

The boat’s main deck features a covered walk around the perimeter, accessed by two forward gangways. Inside is the former gambling area, though all the gaming machines and tables have been removed. There are, however, five television screens, recessed chandeliers on the ceiling, meeting rooms at the aft end of the vessel, and men’s and women’s heads. The casino bar area includes a foot rail, a Hoshtzaki ice machine, three soda taps, two stainless steel ice bins, two double and two single stainless-steel sinks, three 2-door under-counter coolers, and liquor storage. It is one of three such bar areas located on each deck.

Located astern is the red paddlewheel structure, which rises as high as the second deck and can be hydraulically lifted and lowered into the water. The wheel is powered by two Cummins HTA-38 diesel engines, producing a combined total of 1,880 HP, a stately cruising speed of 8 knots, and a top speed of 10 knots. A 300-HP Thrustmaster hydraulic bow thruster also helps control the boat during mooring procedures. Because the Emerald Queen has been anchored in the same spot for a quarter-century, the engines have less than 200 hours of use. Despite their idleness, however, the engines have been lovingly maintained by the Tribe and remain in pristine condition.  

Exterior stairs at port and starboard, forward and aft, lead up to the second and third decks, both of which have covered walk-around exterior decking. Inside the second deck ,the former nightclub area of the casino space, is still equipped with seven TV sets and another fitted bar with the same equipment found on the main deck below, plus a master microwave oven and liquor storage. The deck also has a security monitor room with 18 video processors, three monitors, and two camera controls, and two 5-stall heads for men and women.

The top level includes a pilothouse, complete with state-of-the-art navigation and communication equipment, two forward searchlights, a wooden steering wheel, and a ship’s office. Aft of the pilothouse there are also two vertical engine funnels with crown-like, Creole-style ornamentation, giving the boat 55 feet of bridge clearance.    

Born on the bayou, this Cajun gem is a classic homage to the nation’s proud riverboating heritage, giving credence to any potential plans for a revival as a future clearwater palace—whether it’s anchored at port or just rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ on the river.

Specs & Info:

LOA 292’ · Beam 60’ · Draft 7’ Tankage (Fuel/Fresh/Black) 14,000 gal. / 30,000 gal. / 32,000 gal.

Engines Twin Cummins HTA-38 Diesels

Contact: Northwest Yachtnet Seattle, WA Matt Palmer 253-310-7162 [email protected] nwyachtnet.com

Randy Woods

Goods + gear – february 2022, you may also like, 1987 nordzee kotter trawler, 2001 55′ fleming, 1999 66′ forbes cooper/queenship pilothouse, 2022 maritimo m64, 2021 solaris 50, 2018 ocean alexander 70e, 2005 82′ leclercq pilothouse, 1930/2022 vashon navigation, classic 1938 nevins-built sparkman & stephens yawl, 1965 burger 85, leave a comment cancel reply.

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Emerald Queen Paddle-Wheel Riverboat

The emerald queen was used as a casino by the puyallup tribe. tacoma, washington state     all my work posted on flickr is copyrighted.   thank you for all your comments and fav’s.

After being moored for a quarter-century on Tacoma’s Blair Waterway, the Puyallup Tribe of Indians’ iconic former riverboat casino, the Emerald Queen, was tugged to Seattle on Thursday following a recent sale.

Details of the deal are under wraps, but the nearly 300-foot Mississippi style riverboat was sold to Spectral Crane and Marine, a Seattle-based equipment rental company of barges and marine assets, according to a statement from the Puyallup Tribal Council. The boat operated as a floating casino from 1997 to 2004. Now, it will be repurposed.

Owner of Spectral Crane and Marine, Boyer Halverson, said in a phone call Thursday that plans for the boat are not finalized, but it might be converted into a barge. Asked about the price of the sale, Halverson was mum.

“Oh, I can’t disclose that,” Halverson said. “I can tell you I probably paid too much.”

The Puyallup Tribal Council said in its statement that moving the riverboat will open up more of the Tribe’s port property for economic development. Before Thursday, it was docked near 2102 Alexander Ave. According to previous reporting from The News Tribune , the boat’s casino was closed in 2004 after the Port of Tacoma wanted to shut down Alexander Avenue for expansion. The Puyallup Tribe shuttered the riverboat and converted a hotel in Fife into a casino and hotel. Then in the late 2010s, the Tribe began building its $400 million casino that glows just off of Interstate 5.

“The riverboat served our Tribe well and laid the foundation for us to open and operate the two premier casinos in the Northwest,” the Puyallup Tribal Council said in a statement.

• Continue Reading: https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/business/article272585017.html
• Seen on Elliott Bay; Emerald Queen paddle wheeler sold (Westside Seattle)

| >> >> > The Emerald Queen, the Puyallup Tribe of Indians� riverboat casino, Duwamish River, South Park, Seattle, Washington 436

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The Emerald Queen, the Puyallup Tribe of Indians� riverboat casino, Duwamish River, South Park, Seattle, Washington 436

Copyright @ Long Bach Nguyen and If you want to use or purchase an image please contact at lbnguyen at hotmail

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		20-Dec-2023 15:31
Magnificent aerial photograph! V

		16-Dec-2023 15:45
Looks like it's seen better days. Is it being refurbished or scrapped?

		16-Dec-2023 07:38
nice view from above.

Tribe Makes Huge Port Deal Riverboat casino site new home for container ships

Where once there was a casino, cranes will rise, and the original Emerald Queen riverboat will be replaced by oceangoing container ships.

The Puyallup Tribe of Indians announced Monday an agreement with Seattle-based SSA Marine to develop a 180-acre shipping container terminal along the eastern shore of the Blair Waterway in Tacoma’s Tideflats.

The proposed terminal would be the biggest – and most expensive – in the port. It also would be the only container terminal not owned by the Port of Tacoma. “This partnership will benefit the entire region,” said Herman Dillon, chairman of the tribe, on Monday. “Several thousand high-paying jobs will be created, and the container shipping volume of the port will be significantly expanded. The partnership between SSA and the Puyallup Tribe reaffirms the tribe’s commitment to economic development.”

The deal was negotiated through the tribe’s economic development arm, Marine View Ventures. SSA Marine, the largest U.S.-owned terminal operator, will design and construct the $300 million development and then operate the terminal.

This would be the company’s first terminal operation in Tacoma, though it has worked at the port for years providing stevedoring services for Totem Ocean Trailer Express and handling a variety of noncontainerized cargo from cars to lumber. SSA operates the largest terminal at the Port of Seattle – Terminal 18 – as well as terminals in California and around the world.

The company set the stage for Monday’s announcement last year when it purchased 52 acres of industrial land adjacent to the tribe’s 128-acre property on the Blair Waterway. As part of the latest agreement, SSA Marine will transfer ownership of that property to the tribe, which will then enter into a long-term lease agreement with the company. Neither the tribe nor the privately held SSA released financial details of the lease. The Port of Tacoma leases its waterfront property to shipping lines and terminal operators. Its most recent agreement – signed in 2005 – leases terminal property for $89,000 per acre per year. The port’s executive director Tim Farrell said that’s now considered low, because construction costs have increased.

Tribal spokesman John Weymer said that tribe would apply to add the 52 acres into trust status. SSA Marine purchased the property last year for $11.7 million, according to Pierce County Assessor records. The company will be responsible for the environmental cleanup of the site before it grants it to the tribe.

The port owns 130 acres of property – including the former Kaiser site – adjacent to the tribe’s port land. The port and tribe have been discussing development of the Blair Waterway properties and the potential for a mega-terminal for the past few years.

Port of Tacoma commissioner Ted Bottiger said the port hadn’t met with the tribe in a few months and that at one point the port and SSA Marine were going to put together an offer for the tribe. “We would keep the door open to a three-way partnership, but we wouldn’t wait (to develop the port property),” Bottiger said. “This is business, and nobody wins if the land stays vacant.” Commission President Connie Bacon said the deal is good for the region and ensures the property will be used for maritime commerce.

“We’ve all been trying to find a way to negotiate with the tribe,” she said. “If this is the way to make the land available for shipping, then that’s a good thing.” Farrell said the port will continue to pursue the development of container terminals on the Blair Waterway.

Bob Watters, vice president and director of business development for SSA Marine, said the company is already talking to potential customers.

“The growth in the Pacific Northwest is doing quite well and has been quite dramatic,” he said. “We’re quite confident that we’ll be able to attract customers down there.”

The proposed container terminal will include two ship berths. The facility will extend across Alexander Avenue and offer space for the storage and transfer of shipping containers. Watters expects construction to take four to five years.

The tribe received its land as part of a 1988 land claims settlement negotiated with local, state and federal government.

“This agreement has been 25 years in the making,” said Bill Sterud, a member of the tribal council and one of the leaders in the settlement negotiations. “We had a vision back then of the potential of what the port property could be. With this agreement, we are continuing to move down the roads of cooperation and opportunity.”

Weymer said the tribe has long sought to develop the property. “This has not been an overnight venture,” he said. “We’ve had companies from as far away as China looking at possible development of the property.”

The deal has been agreed to in principle, and signatures will be affixed to contracts within 90 days, Weymer said. The parties will celebrate with a groundbreaking ceremony within the next few months, they said. Meanwhile, the riverboat – which is still for sale – will leave the Blair Waterway. Brought to Tacoma in 1997, the original Emerald Queen served gamblers until it was closed in 2005, after the tribe moved its casino operations elsewhere.

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StatesCasinos » Washington Casinos » Tacoma Casinos » Emerald Queen Casino – Riverboat

Emerald Queen Casino – Riverboat - Casinos – Washington Casinos, Tacoma Casinos

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The Emerald Queen Riverboat is no longer in operation.

The Emerald Queen Casino Riverboat is the Northwest’s only true riverboat casino featuring top name national acts, professional boxing, a hugh variety of entertainment choices and of course, Las Vegas sytle gaming. Centrally located between Seattle and Olympia with easy freeway access, open 7 days a week and literally “boatloads” of free parking. Complimentary transportation is offered for groups of 25 or more. Emerald Queen Casino hours of operation: Open Daily:10am to 6am Tuesday thru Thursday and 24hrs Friday thru Monday.

Over 180,000 square feet of gaming. Choose from your favorite Las Vegas style table games such as Let It Ride, Black Jack, Spanish 21, Fortune Pai Gow, Craps, Roulette and Caribbean Stud; or one of over 1500 of the newest and most dynamic video gaming machines around including Wheel of Fortune, Leopard Spots, Little Green Men, Texas Tea, Dolphin Treasure, Wild Cougar and Yahtzee. Machines are available in a range of denominations and new games arrive all the time. The First Deck of the Boat offers a completely Smoke-Free environment. You must be at least 21 years of age to enter the casino.

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