Star Cruises

Last updated

Star Cruises
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryPassenger transportation & Cruises
Founded10 November 1993;31 years ago (1993-11-10)
FounderTan Sri Lim Kok Thay
DefunctApril 2022;2 years ago (2022-04)
HeadquartersHong Kong, Asia
Area served
Asia Pacific
Key people
 Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay, CEO & Founder
Products Cruises
Owner Genting Hong Kong
Website StarCruises.com
SuperStar Leo, the first newbuild of the company Ocean Liner "Super Star Leo" - Sydney Harbour (5106366854).jpg
SuperStar Leo, the first newbuild of the company

Star Cruises was a cruise line headquartered in Hong Kong. It operated in the Asia-Pacific market and was owned by Genting Hong Kong. It was the 18th largest [1] cruise line in the world after Carnival Corporation, Royal Caribbean Cruises, and 15 others.

Contents

The chairman of Star Cruises was Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay, the son of Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong, who had founded Malaysia's Genting Highlands.

History

SuperStar Libra in Keelung Harbor, Taiwan Superstar Libra at Port of Keelung 20070712 (cropped).jpg
SuperStar Libra in Keelung Harbor, Taiwan

1992–1999: Founding, acquisitions

Star Cruises was founded as an associate of the Genting Group of Malaysia. [2] It was incorporated in Bermuda on 10 November 1993 with its corporate headquarters in Hong Kong. [3] The company's first ships were two cruiseferries acquired from the bankrupt Swedish company Rederi AB Slite. In the following years, the company purchased several other ships.

In 1998, Star Cruises took delivery of its first new build, SuperStar Leo , followed by sister ship SuperStar Virgo in 1999. Star Cruises also acquired Sun Cruises the same year.

2000–2012: Norwegian Cruise Line, transfers

In 2000, Star Cruises acquired Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), [4] including its subsidiaries Orient Lines and Norwegian Capricorn Line, thus becoming the largest global cruise line in the world. NCL operations were soon merged into those of Star Cruises. Before the purchase of NCL, Star Cruises had had several other new builds either planned or already under construction, but with the merger of the two companies, most of the new ships joined the NCL fleet instead.

In 2001, Star Cruises founded a new sister company, Cruise Ferries, which began operating its sole ship, Wasa Queen , on short cruises from Hong Kong to Xiamen, followed by overnight gambling cruises from Hong Kong and gambling cruises from Port Klang in Kuala Lumpur. (Wasa Queen was sold in 2007.)

In 2004, SuperStar Leo was transferred to NCL. [5] The ship then became Norwegian Spirit. [6] It was rushed into service under the NCL America brand because the Pride of America wasn't ready on time due to sinking at Lloyd Werft shipyard. [7] (Since 2006, the trend was for new ships to be built for NCL, after which old ships in the NCL fleet were transferred to the Star Cruises fleet in Asia.)

In 2007, Star sold 50% of NCL to the Apollo Management group. [8] In 2013, following a corporate reorganization and an initial public offering, NCL was made a wholly owned subsidiary of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings. On 3 December 2018, Star and Apollo sold off their remaining stakes in Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, marking the end of a relationship that had lasted more than a decade. [8]

In early 2008, both NCL America and Orient Lines brands were discontinued, with the latter's sole ship, Marco Polo, sold to Greek interests. Also in that year, the first ship from NCL was transferred to the Star Cruises fleet as SuperStar Libra .

Starting from 2011, Star Cruises' ships received new hull art. One year later, it was announced on 27 April 2012 that the Norwegian Dream would join the Star fleet, renamed as SuperStar Gemini, with service starting in 2012. [9]

2013–2018: New and renamed vessels

On 7 October 2013, Star Cruises announced they had entered into an agreement with Meyer Werft shipyard for the construction of one new cruise ship. The vessel would have capacity for 3,364 passengers at double occupancy. [10] The ship would be delivered sometime in late 2016. Star Cruises then announced on 10 February 2014 that a second ship was ordered and would be delivered by late 2017. Both ships would have volumes of 150,000 GT. [11]

On 9 February 2015, the first steel cutting ceremony for Genting World was held at Meyer Werft shipyard. [12] In November 2015, it was announced that the vessels under construction would instead be delivered to Dream Cruises, with a new class of ships planned to be designed for Star Cruises. [13]

In March 2018, Star Cruises announced that one of its ships, SuperStar Libra , would end her public cruise operations for the company on 27 June 2018. [14] On 8 March 2018, Genting Hong Kong announced that the first global-class build previously allocated to Star Cruises would join the Dream Cruises fleet instead. [15] [16] On 11 September 2018, Genting Hong Kong also announced that SuperStar Virgo would move to Dream Cruises in April 2019 and be renamed the Explorer Dream. [17] In November 2018, SuperStar Gemini returned to Malaysia for a six-month deployment. [18]

2022: Bankruptcy

In January 2022, the parent company of Star Cruises, Genting Hong Kong, declared bankruptcy due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. [19] In April, SuperStar Gemini, SuperStar Aquarius, and Star Pisces were all sold for scrap. Their smaller sister ship, The Taipan, was sold to OM Ships International in May 2022 and renamed Doulos Hope. Operation Mobilisation (OM) affiliate Gute Bücher für Alle accepted the ship in Penang, Malaysia on 25 May and completed her sea trial on July 20. She then sailed to Singapore to continue a refurbishment which should have conclude by the end of 2023. [20] [21]

In September of 2022, Thay, under the buyer name Resorts World, bought the trademarks for Star Cruises for around $3.5 million. [22]

Former fleet

Ships that sailed as part of Star Cruises
ShipIn service for Star CruisesBuiltGross Tonnage (GT)Status as of 2025Image
Langkapuri Star Aquarius 1993–2001198840,012Now Pearl Seaways for DFDS.
Pearls Seaways Copenhagen June 2014 (3).JPG
Star Pisces 1994–2022199040,012Previously Kalypso; scrapped in Alang in 2022. [23]
Star Pisces at Ocean Terminal, Hong Kong, from ferry pier 2.jpg
MegaStar Taurus 1994–201519893,341Transferred to Crystal Cruises as Crystal Esprit .
Crystal Esprit.jpg
The Taipan July 1994–May 2022 [20] 1991 [24] 3,370Entered service for Star Cruises as MegaStar Aries (1994–2012), then renamed Genting World (2012–2013) and The Taipan (2013–2022). Transferred to Operation Mobilisation as Doulos Hope in May 2022. [20]
Megastar Aries at Singapore (little and large) (cropped).jpg
SuperStar Gemini 1995–2009199219,093Now Gemini for Miray Cruises.
Penguin 1 Singapore (Gemini).jpg
Superstar Virgo and Superstar Gemini.jpg
SuperStar Capricorn 1997–1998
2001–2004		197321,891Scrapped at Aliağa, Turkey in 2021.
Boudicca - IMO 7218395 - Callsign C6VA3.JPG
SuperStar Europe
SuperStar Aries 		1999–2000
2000–2004		198037,301Now Blue Sapphire for ANEX Tour.
Europa IMO 7822457 P Bergen 07-1985 (1).jpg
SuperStar Sagittarius 1998197216,607Previously Oriental Dragon .
Scrapped in Gadani in 2022.
OrientalDragon20110724.jpg
SuperStar Leo 1998–2004199875,338Star Cruises' first newly built at the time. Transferred to Norwegian Cruise Line as Norwegian Spirit.
Ocean Liner "Super Star Leo" - Sydney Harbour (5105763245).jpg
SuperStar Virgo 1999-2019199975,338Star Cruises' second newly built at the time. Transfer to Dream Cruises as Explorer Dream in April 2019.
SuperStar Virgo. Hong Kong. (39959952565).jpg
MegaStar Capricorn 2000–200119914,280Now Caledonian Sky for Noble Caledonia.
Dubai Drydocking.jpg
MegaStar Sagittarius 2000–200119914,200Now Sea Spirit for Poseidon Expeditions.N/A
Norwegian Star 1 2001–200219734,200Previously Albatros for Phonix Reisen; scrapped 2021
MS Norwegian Star (4163364643) (cropped).jpg
SuperStar Taurus 2000–2001198015,179Now Celestyal Crystal for Celestyal Cruises
Silja Opera Turun Korjaustelakalla.jpg
SuperStar Libra 2005–2018198842,275Previously Norwegian Sea; scrapped in Aliağa in 2022
SuperStar Libra Hong Kong (cropped).jpg
SuperStar Aquarius 2007–2022199351,309Previously Norwegian Wind; sold for scrap in 2022 [25]
SuperStar Aquarius at Phoenix Island, Sanya Bay - 02.jpg
SuperStar Gemini 2012–2022199250,764Previously Norwegian Dream; sold for scrap in 2022 [26]
Star Cruises SuperStar Gemini on August 22, 2014.jpg

Cancelled ships

Ships that were ordered for Star Cruises but transferred before completion or never built:

ShipBuiltYear ship would enter Star Cruises servicesGross TonnageStatus as of 2025Image
SuperStar Libra 2001200191,740Transferred to subsidiary Norwegian Cruise Line as the Norwegian Star
Norwegian Star Kauai 2002.jpg
SuperStar Scorpio 2002200292,250Transferred to subsidiary Norwegian Cruise Line as the Norwegian Dawn
Norwegian Dawn au port de Klaipeda (aout 2022).jpg
Norway 1960200376,049NCL planned to transfer it to Star Cruises; transfer was canceled
Norway La Rochelle-a.jpg
N.N.2003112,000Never built;
Sagittarius class		 [27] [28]
Norwegian Majesty 1992200932,396NCL planned to transfer it to Star Cruises; transfer was canceled
Louis Majesty Rhodes.jpg
N.N.2005112,000Never built; Sagittarius class
Pride Of Aloha 1998200877,104NCL planned to transfer it to Star Cruises; transfer was canceled
NCL Nawiliwili (cropped).jpg
Genting World [29] [30] 2016150,695Transferred to Dream Cruises as Genting Dream
Genting Dream at Marina Bay Cruise Centre.jpg
N.N. 2017150,695Transferred to Dream Cruises as World Dream
World Dream.jpg
Global Dream [31] 2019208,000Transferred to Dream Cruises as Global Dream; aquired by the Disney Cruise Line as of November 2022 while still under construction with the new name Disney Adventure
Global Dream under construction at MV Werften Warnemunde I.jpg
Global Dream IIScrapped208,000Transferred to Dream Cruises. Second ship of the Global class. Incomplete lower hull scrapped [32]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norwegian Cruise Line</span> American cruise line

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) is an American cruise line founded in Norway in 1966, incorporated in the Bahamas and headquartered in Miami. It is the fourth-largest cruise line in the world by passengers, controlling about 8.6% of the total worldwide share of the cruise market by passengers as of 2021. It is wholly owned by parent company Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings.

<i>Norwegian Spirit</i> Cruise ship

Norwegian Spirit is a Leo-class cruise ship operated by Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL). She was built in 1998 for Star Cruises as SuperStar Leo by the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. In 2004 she was transferred to NCL and renamed Norwegian Spirit.

<i>Norwegian Dawn</i> Cruise ship

Norwegian Dawn is a cruise ship that entered service in 2002 and is in operation with Norwegian Cruise Line.

MV <i>Dreamward</i> Ship built in 1992

MS Dreamward was a cruise ship owned and operated by Star Cruises. She was built in 1992 by the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in St. Nazaire, France as MS Dreamward for traffic with Norwegian Cruise Line. In 1998 she was lengthened at Lloyd Werft in Bremerhaven, Germany and renamed as Norwegian Dream. In late 2012, she was transferred to the fleet of Star Cruises and renamed SuperStar Gemini.

<i>Norwegian Star</i> Ship from 2001

Norwegian Star is a Dawn-class cruise ship operated by Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL). Ordered by and intended for Star Cruises, it was originally named SuperStar Libra before being transferred to NCL. Norwegian Star is a Panamax cruise ship; its 294-meter-length (965 ft) and 32.2-meter-beam (105.6 ft) nears the limit for ships transiting the Panama Canal through the original set of locks.

<i>Norwegian Sky</i> Cruise ship

Norwegian Sky is a Sun-class cruise ship owned and operated by Norwegian Cruise Line. She was originally ordered by Costa Cruises as Costa Olympia from the Bremer Vulkan shipyard in Germany, but she was completed in 1999 by the Lloyd Werft shipyard in Bremerhaven, Germany for the Norwegian Cruise Line under the name Norwegian Sky. Between 2004 and 2008, she sailed as Pride of Aloha for NCL America.

<i>Star Pisces</i>

MS Star Pisces was a cruise ship owned by Star Cruises and did short cruises from Hong Kong. She was originally built as the cruiseferry MS Kalypso in 1990 at Masa-Yards Turku New Shipyard, Finland for Rederi AB Slite for use in Viking Line traffic. The ship was designed by Per Dockson. Star Pisces had a sister ship, Pearl Seaways.

MV <i>Zenith</i> Horizon-class cruise ship

MV Zenith was a cruise ship built in 1992 by Meyer Werft, Papenburg, Germany for Celebrity Cruises. After a career for Pullmantur Cruises and Croisières de France she was sold for scrapping at Alang, India in 2022.

<i>SuperStar Libra</i>

SuperStar Libra was a cruise ship owned and last operated by Star Cruises. She was built in 1988 at Wärtsilä Marine Perno Shipyard in Turku, Finland as Seaward for Norwegian Cruise Line. In 1997 she was renamed Norwegian Sea, remaining in NCL fleet. In 2005 she was transferred to the fleet of Star Cruises. In May 2022, the ship, renamed Libra, arrived in Turkey for demolition.

<i>Resorts World One</i> Cruise ship built in 1999

Resorts World One is a Leo-class cruise ship operating for Resorts World Cruises. The ship most recently operated with Dream Cruises as Explorer Dream. She was built in 1999 by the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany as SuperStar Virgo for Star Cruises.

MS <i>Windward</i>

MS Windward was a cruise ship that was built in 1993 by the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in St. Nazaire, France for Kloster Cruise as Windward. In 1998 she was lengthened at Lloyd Werft in Bremerhaven, Germany and renamed Norwegian Wind. In 2007 she was transferred to the fleet of Star Cruises as SuperStar Aquarius. The ship remained in passenger service for the cruise line until the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown in 2020. The ship was sold for scrap as Arius in 2022 following the liquidation of the cruise line's parent company after filing for bankruptcy, which also led to the demise of Star Cruises.

Genting Hong Kong Limited was a holding company that operated cruise and resort businesses. It was headquartered in Ocean Centre (海洋中心), Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong and listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. It was part of the Genting Group, whose chairman Lim Kok Thay was also the chairman and majority shareholder of Genting Hong Kong with 69% ownership of April 2020. It also owned the cruise lines Crystal Cruises, Dream Cruises and Star Cruises, Resorts World Manila, and the MV Werften and Lloyd Werft shipyards.

Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay is a Malaysian Chinese billionaire businessman. He is the chairman of Genting Group, a casinos, resorts and palm oil conglomerate with a market capitalization of almost MYR40 billion, and the second son of fellow billionaire Lim Goh Tong, the company's founder.

<i>Norwegian Joy</i> Cruise ship operated by Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian Joy is a Breakaway Plus-class cruise ship operated by Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) and is the second of four Breakaway Plus-class vessels in the company's fleet. Built by Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany, she was delivered in April 2017.

<i>AROYA</i> Cruise ship

AROYA is a cruise ship of AROYA Cruises.

<i>Prima</i>-class cruise ship Class of cruise ships built for Norwegian Cruise Line

Prima-class cruise ships, formerly known by the project name Project Leonardo, are a class of cruise ships built for Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL). These are the first NCL ships to be built by Fincantieri. Each ship is expected to cost about $850 million. The modifications that are to be made to the design for the future Prima-class ships would result in an extra 1.2 billion euros in shipbuilding costs — about $1.27 billion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MV Werften</span> Hong Kong-German shipbuilder

MV Werften was a Hong Kong–German shipbuilding company that operated three facilities in eastern Germany to construct cruise ships for parent company Genting Hong Kong.

<i>Global</i>-class cruise ship Class of German cruise ships

The Global class is a class of cruise ships constructed by the German shipbuilder MV Werften for Genting Hong Kong. With Genting's bankruptcy in 2022, the future of the Global class was in doubt. On November 16, 2022, Disney Cruise Line confirmed it acquired the unfinished Global Dream. The second unfinished ship has been scrapped.

<i>Disney Adventure</i> Cruise ship operated by Disney Cruise Line

Disney Adventure is an upcoming eighth cruise ship owned and operated by Disney Cruise Line, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, due to enter service on December 15, 2025. Disney Adventure is the first and only ship of the Global class, with her then-planned sister ship scrapped due to Genting Hong Kong, Star Cruises, Dream Cruises, and MV Werften all filing for bankruptcy from January to June 2022. She will enter service in 2025. The other seven ships in the Disney fleet are Disney Magic, Disney Wonder, Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy, Disney Wish, Disney Treasure, and Disney Destiny.

References

  1. ↑ "2012 World Wide Market Share". Cruise Market Watch. 20 November 2011.
  2. ↑ Group Profile – Star Cruises Limited Archived 6 December 2012 at archive.today , retrieved on 27 July 2005
  3. ↑ Star Cruises 2004 Annual Report Archived 4 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine , retrieved on 15 March 2007
  4. ↑ Alex (20 December 2000). "Star Cruises Acquires Norwegian Cruise Line". www.cruiseindustrynews.com. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
  5. ↑ "NCL: SuperStar Leo's in, the Norway's out: Travel Weekly". www.travelweekly.com. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  6. ↑ "Solar Solve Wins Large Order From Norwegian Cruise Lines". The Maritime Executive. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  7. ↑ "Pride of America refloated, moved to drydock: Travel Weekly". www.travelweekly.com. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  8. 1 2 Stieghorst, Tom (3 December 2018). "Apollo and Star cash out of Norwegian Cruise Line: Travel Weekly". Travel Weekly. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  9. ↑ Norwegian Dream Set to Sail for Star – Cruise Industry News | Cruise News. Cruise Industry News (27 April 2012).
  10. ↑ Star Cruises Orders New Ship from Meyer Werft – Cruise Industry News | Cruise News. Cruise Industry News (7 October 2013).
  11. ↑ Star Doubles Order – Second Newbuild Due for 2017 – Cruise Industry News | Cruise News. Cruise Industry News (10 February 2014).
  12. ↑ "Star Cruises Commences Building of the Genting World Mega Cruise Ship with its First Steel Cutting". Star Cruises. 11 February 2015.
  13. ↑ "Genting Dream, the first Asian luxury cruise ship". Cruisetotravel. 31 July 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  14. ↑ Staff, CIN (2 March 2018). "SuperStar Libra to End Public Cruise Operations" . Retrieved 3 March 2018.
  15. ↑ Staff, CIN (8 March 2018). "Dream Cruises to Get 2020 Newbuild, Sail Globally" . Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  16. ↑ "Genting to transfer Global Class newbuilds to Dream Cruises brand". Cruise & Ferry. 12 March 2018. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  17. ↑ Mathisen, Monty (11 September 2018). "SuperStar Virgo to Become Explorer Dream, Transfer to Dream Cruises". www.cruiseindustrynews.com. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  18. ↑ "Cruise ship returns to Malaysia this November". The Star Online. 25 September 2018. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  19. ↑ "How Genting billionaire Lim Kok Thay's global cruise empire imploded in Hong Kong | the Straits Times". The Straits Times. 23 January 2022.
  20. 1 2 3 "Meet Doulos Hope | OM Ships International". www.om.org. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  21. ↑ "GBA Ships - This is the official website of GBA Ships which manages and operates MV Logos Hope". gbaships.org. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  22. ↑ "Star Cruises Trademarks Sold Back to Resorts World - Cruise Industry News | Cruise News".
  23. ↑ "Weekly Vessel Scrapping Report 2022: Week 17".
  24. ↑ BalticShipping.com. "BalticShipping.com". www.balticshipping.com. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  25. ↑ "Weekly Vessel Scrapping Report 2022: Week 17".
  26. ↑ "Weekly Vessel Scrapping Report 2022: Week 17".
  27. ↑ "Star Cruises will zwei Schiffe bauen" (in German). 30 July 1999. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  28. ↑ "Star Cruises - Page 2" . Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  29. ↑ "Star Cruises ordert neues Kreuzfahrtschiff" (in German). 8 October 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  30. ↑ "New Star Ship to be Genting World?". 29 October 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  31. ↑ "GENTING HONG KONG GRÜNDET MV WERFTEN FÜR NEUBAUPROJEKTE" (in German). 7 July 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  32. ↑ McGillivray, Robert (15 June 2022). "Global Dream's Sister Ship to Be Sold as Scrap". Cruise Hive.
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