![SuperStar Virgo at Phuket](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/SuperStar_Virgo_at_Phuket.jpg)
Star Cruises was a cruise line headquartered in
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
and operating in the Asia-Pacific market. The company was owned by
Genting Hong Kong
Genting Hong Kong Limited ( zh, 雲頂香港有限公司) was a holding company that operated cruise and resort businesses. It was headquartered in (海洋中心), Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong and listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (). It was p ...
. It was the eighteenth largest
cruise line
A cruise line is a company that operates cruise ships that operate on ocean or rivers and which markets cruises to the public. Cruise lines are distinct from passenger lines which are primarily concerned with transportation of passengers. Though ...
in the world after
Carnival Corporation
Carnival is a Catholic Church, Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgy, liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (o ...
,
Royal Caribbean Cruises
Royal may refer to:
People
* Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name
* A member of a royal family
Places United States
* Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community
* Royal, Illinois, a village
* Royal, Iowa, a ci ...
and 15 others.
The chairman of Star Cruises was
Tan Sri
The Malay language has a complex system of styles, titles and honorifics which are used extensively in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the southern Philippines.
Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and several provinces in Indonesia regul ...
Lim Kok Thay
Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay (; born 16 August 1951) 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 secon ...
, the son of the late
Tan Sri
The Malay language has a complex system of styles, titles and honorifics which are used extensively in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the southern Philippines.
Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and several provinces in Indonesia regul ...
Lim Goh Tong
Lim Goh Tong (; 28 February 1918 – 23 October 2007) was a prominent wealthy Malaysian Chinese businessman & entrepreneur. He was renowned for his transforming Genting Highlands from an unexplored hilltop into one of the world's most successfu ...
, the founder of
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
's
Genting Highlands
Genting Highlands is a hill station located on the peak of Mount Ulu Kali in the Titiwangsa Mountains, central Peninsular Malaysia, at 1,800 metres elevation. Located in the state of Pahang. It was established in 1965 by the late Chinese busines ...
.
History
![Superstar Libra at Port of Keelung 20080803 night](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4d/Superstar_Libra_at_Port_of_Keelung_20080803_night.jpg)
Star Cruises was founded as an associate of the
Genting Group
The Genting Group is a company headquartered in the Wisma Genting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It comprises the holding company Genting Berhad (), its listed subsidiaries Genting Malaysia Berhad (), Genting Plantations Berhad (), Genting Singapore ...
of
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
, incorporated in
Bermuda
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, song_type = National song
, song = " Hail to Bermuda"
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on 10 November 1993 with its corporate headquarters in Hong Kong. The company's first ships were two
cruiseferries
A cruiseferry is a ship that combines the features of a cruise ship and a Ro-Pax ferry. Many passengers travel with the ships for the cruise experience, staying only a few hours at the destination port or not leaving the ship at all, while ot ...
acquired from the bankrupted estate of
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
Rederi AB Slite. In the following years, the company purchased several other used ships. In 1998, Star Cruises took delivery of its first new build, ''
SuperStar Leo'', followed by sister ship ''
SuperStar Virgo
''Explorer Dream'' is a ''Leo'' class cruise ship that most recently operated with Dream Cruises. She was built in 1999 by the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany as ''SuperStar Virgo''.
Concept and construction
''SuperStar Virgo'' was ord ...
'' in 1999. Star Cruises also acquired Sun Cruises the same year.
In 2000, Star Cruises acquired
Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), also known in short as Norwegian, is an American cruise line founded in 1966, incorporated in Bermuda and headquartered in Miami. It is the fourth-largest cruise line in the world by passengers, controlling about 8.6 ...
, including its subsidiaries
Orient Lines
Orient Lines was a cruise line specialising in exotic destinations that was in operation 1993–2008. The brand was founded in 1993 by Gerry Herrod, and was sold to Norwegian Cruise Line in 1998. It ceased operations in March 2008 and was sold ...
and
Norwegian Capricorn Line
The Norwegian Capricorn Line was a cruise line and was founded by some of Australia's foremost cruise professionals, (including Sarina Bratton who went on to found the expedition style cruise line Orion Expedition Cruises in 2004) in partnership ...
, becoming the largest global cruise line in the world. Norwegian Capricorn Line operations were soon merged into those of Star Cruises. Before the purchase of NCL, Star Cruises had several other new builds either planned or already under construction, but with the merger of the two companies, most of the constructed builds joined the NCL fleet instead of Star Cruises. In 2007, Star sold 50% of NCL to the
Apollo Management
Apollo Global Management, Inc. is an American global private-equity firm. It provides investment management and invests in credit, private equity, and real assets. As of March 31, 2022, the company had $512 billion of assets under management, i ...
group.
In 2013, following a corporate reorganization and an
initial public offering
An initial public offering (IPO) or stock launch is a public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors and usually also to retail (individual) investors. An IPO is typically underwritten by one or more investment ...
, NCL was made a wholly owned subsidiary of
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) is a holding company that is domiciled in Bermuda and based in the United States. It operates three cruise lines as wholly owned subsidiaries: Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas Cr ...
. On 3 December 2018, Star and Apollo sold off their remaining stakes in Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, marking the end of a relationship that lasted more than a decade.
In 2001, Star Cruises founded a new sister company,
Cruise Ferries
Star Cruises was a cruise line headquartered in Hong Kong and operating in the Asia-Pacific market. The company was owned by Genting Hong Kong. It was the eighteenth largest cruise line in the world after Carnival Corporation, Royal Caribbe ...
, which began operating its sole ship, ''
Wasa Queen'', on short cruises from Hong Kong to
Xiamen
Xiamen ( , ; ), also known as Amoy (, from Hokkien pronunciation ), is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian, People's Republic of China, beside the Taiwan Strait. It is divided into six districts: Huli, Siming, Jimei, Tong'an, ...
followed by overnight gambling cruises from Hong Kong and gambling cruises from Port Klang in Kuala Lumpur. ''Wasa Queen'' ceased to function and was sold to another company in 2007.
In 2004, ''SuperStar Leo'', was transferred to NCL. The ship became ''Norwegian Spirit'' and took over
Norwegian Sky
''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 ...
cruises. It was rushed into service under NCL America brand because the
Pride of America
MS ''Pride of America'' is a cruise ship operated by NCL America, a division of Norwegian Cruise Lines, to sail itineraries in the Hawaiian Islands. Construction of the ship began in 2000 in the United States as part of a plan for a US-built a ...
wasn't ready on time due to sinking at
Lloyd Werft
Lloyd Werft Bremerhaven GmbH is a dockyard in Bremerhaven. It was founded in 1863 by the shipping company Norddeutscher Lloyd, first mainly used as a repair workshop for the company’s own merchant fleet. This new yard was established in ...
shipyard. Since 2006, the trend has been for new ships to be built for NCL, and the old ships in the NCL fleet are transferred to the Star Cruises fleet in Asia.
In early 2008, both NCL America and Orient Lines brands were discontinued, with the latter's sole ship,
MS ''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 received a new hullart. ''SuperStar Virgo'', ''SuperStar Aquarius'' and ''Star Pisces'' have received their new hullart.
It was announced on 27 April 2012 that the ''
Norwegian Dream
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 ...
'' will join the Star fleet, she will be named as ''SuperStar Gemini'' and will start service in 2012.
On 7 October 2013, Star Cruises announced that Star Cruises and their parent company, Genting Hong Kong, have entered into an agreement with Meyer Werft shipyard for the construction of one new cruise ship for Star. The vessel will have capacity for 3,364 passengers at double occupancy. The ship will be delivered sometime in Fall 2016.
Star Cruises announced on 10 February 2014, that a second ship was ordered and will be delivered by Fall 2017. Both ships will 150,000 GT.
[Star Doubles Order – Second Newbuild Due for 2017 – Cruise Industry News , Cruise News](_blank)
Cruise Industry News (10 February 2014). On 9 February 2015, the first steel cutting ceremony for
Genting World was held at Meyer Werft shipyard.
In November 2015, it was announced that the vessels under construction would instead be delivered to
Dream Cruises
Genting Hong Kong Limited ( zh, 雲頂香港有限公司) was a holding company that operated cruise and resort businesses. It was headquartered in (海洋中心), Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong and listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (). It was p ...
, with a new class of ships planned to be designed for Star Cruises.
The company announced in March 2018 that one of its ships, ''
SuperStar Libra'', would end her public cruise operations for the company on 27 June 2018.
On 8 March 2018, Genting Hong Kong announced that the first Global-class newbuild that was previously allocated to Star Cruises would join the
Dream Cruises
Genting Hong Kong Limited ( zh, 雲頂香港有限公司) was a holding company that operated cruise and resort businesses. It was headquartered in (海洋中心), Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong and listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (). It was p ...
fleet.
On 11 September 2018, Genting Hong Kong announced that SuperStar Virgo would move to Dream Cruises in April 2019 and be renamed the Explorer Dream. In November 2018, SuperStar Gemini returned to Malaysia for a six-month deployment.
In January 2022, the parent company of Star Cruises, Genting Hong Kong, declared
bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...
due to the effects of the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
In April 2022, following the collapse of the parent company of Star Cruises, Genting Hong Kong; ''SuperStar Gemini'', ''SuperStar Aquarius'' & ''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
Operation Mobilisation is a Christian missionary organisation founded by George Verwer to mobilise young people to live and share the Gospel of Jesus. OM, (Operation Mobilisation) , started in Mexico and had spread to Europe and India by 1963.
OM ...
affiliate
Gute Bücher für Alle
Gute Bücher für Alle ( en, Good Books for All) is a German charity, based in Mosbach, which operates floating bookshops. It is best known as the operator of such vessels, currently deploying the MV ''Logos Hope'' in service of the organization' ...
accepted the ship in
Penang, Malaysia
Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay P ...
on 25 May and completed her sea trial on July 20. She then sailed to Singapore to continue a refurbishment which should conclude before the end of 2023.
The Star Cruises Trademarks were sold to Genting Group Chairman and CEO Lim Kok Thay.
Former Fleet
Ships that sailed as part of Star Cruises:
Cancelled ships
Ships that were ordered for Star Cruises but transferred before completion or never built:
, , 2016 , , style="text-align:Center;", , , Transferred to
Dream Cruises
Genting Hong Kong Limited ( zh, 雲頂香港有限公司) was a holding company that operated cruise and resort businesses. It was headquartered in (海洋中心), Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong and listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (). It was p ...
as ''
Genting Dream
''Genting Dream'' is a cruise ship of ''Resorts World Cruises''. The ship has a length of , a width of , a size of , and a top speed of over .
The construction of ''Genting Dream'', the first ship of the cruise brand, Dream Cruises, was completed ...
''. , ,
![Genting Dream at Marina Bay Cruise Centre](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Genting_Dream_at_Marina_Bay_Cruise_Centre.jpg)
, -
,
N.N. , , 2017 , , style="text-align:Center;", , , Transferred to
Dream Cruises
Genting Hong Kong Limited ( zh, 雲頂香港有限公司) was a holding company that operated cruise and resort businesses. It was headquartered in (海洋中心), Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong and listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (). It was p ...
as ''World Dream''. , ,
![World Dream](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/World_Dream.jpg)
, -
,
N.N. , , - , , style="text-align:Center;", , , Transferred to
Dream Cruises
Genting Hong Kong Limited ( zh, 雲頂香港有限公司) was a holding company that operated cruise and resort businesses. It was headquartered in (海洋中心), Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong and listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (). It was p ...
as ''Global Dream''. Acquired by the
Disney Cruise Line
Disney Cruise Line is a cruise line operation that is a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. The company was incorporated in 1996 as Magical Cruise Company Limited, through the first vessel, ''Disney Magic'' and is domiciled in London, England ...
as of November 2022, new name TBD , ,
![Global Dream under construction at MV Werften Warnemünde I](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Global_Dream_under_construction_at_MV_Werften_Warnem%C3%BCnde_I.jpg)
, -
, N.N. , , - , , style="text-align:Center;", , , Transferred to
Dream Cruises
Genting Hong Kong Limited ( zh, 雲頂香港有限公司) was a holding company that operated cruise and resort businesses. It was headquartered in (海洋中心), Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong and listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (). It was p ...
. Second ship of the ''Global'' class. Incomplete hull scrapped
, -, ,
References
External links
*
{{Members of Star Cruises
Companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange
Companies listed on the Singapore Exchange
1993 establishments in Hong Kong
2022 disestablishments in Hong Kong
Cruise lines
Transport companies established in 1993
Transport companies disestablished in 2022
Malaysian brands