Star Cruises News

An international maritime charity based in Germany has unveiled a new ship to promote literacy, education and cross-cultural cooperation across Southeast Asia.The vessel, Doulos Hope, is the fifth in GBA Ships’ fleet, recently launched following a technical refit and outfitting. At 85.5 meters long and 14 meters wide, with a gross tonnage of 3,370 grt and a maximum speed of 13.5 knots, the vessel is the first of a planned fleet designed to reach new regions and operate in shallower waters…

Lindblad Expeditions has shared images of its newest fleet addition ahead of the vessel's inaugural voyage in the Galápagos Islands.The National Geographic Islander ll is an expedition cruise ship acquired to replace Lindblad Expeditions' vessel National Geographic Islander for year-round operations in the Galápagos. Accommodating just 48 guests in 26 suites, the ship will sail for Lindblad Expeditions with a 1:1 guest-to-crew ratioThe 3,370 GT, 280-foot-long ship was built by…

Lindblad Expeditions has take delivery of the secondhand expedition cruise ship National Geographic Islander II.The vessel, which was previously named Crystal Esprit and operated by Crystal Cruises, will sail year-round in the Galápagos Islands, replacing Lindblad Expeditions' vessel National Geographic Islander.The 3,370 GT, 280-foot-long ship was built by Flender Werft in Germany from 1989-1991 and was operated by Windsor Lines and Star Cruises before its sale to Crystal Cruises in 2015.Accommodating just 48 guests…

A luxury cruise ship has skipped its call to Miami and diverted to the Bahamas after a U.S. judge ordered its seizure as part of a lawsuit over unpaid fuel bills.The Crystal Symphony, operated by Genting Hong Kong's Crystal Cruises, was scheduled to conclude a Caribbean voyage in Miami on Saturday, but the ship sailed to the Bahamian island of Bimini instead after a federal judge in Miami granted an order to arrest the 781-foot, Bahamas-flagged vessel over unpaid fuel bills.Bunker supplier Peninsula Petroleum Far East sued the ship and Crystal Cruises…

Saga announced it has completed the sale of cruise ship Saga Sapphire to Anex Tour, a family-run Turkish tour operator. The ship is scheduled to reenter service as Blue Sapphire operating for Anex Tour’s new cruise line in 2021.While many cruise ships are currently being sold or scrapped due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Saga Sapphire sale is unrelated to COVID-19. Anex Tour had announced in August 2019 it would acquire the vessel.Neset Kockar, Chairman of Anex Tour, said,…

While COVID-19 has proven to be the biggest business disruption event in generations, for the once-booming cruise shipping industry it has meant a hard stop. Getting back to cruising will be neither fast nor easy. We reached out to Captain Havard Ramsoy, Vice President, Marine Operations and Safety, Genting Cruise Lines for insights on the path forward.Please give an overview of the Genting Cruise Ship fleet today, and COVID-19 and its impact on the Genting Cruise business.Throughout the unprecedented suspension of the global cruise passenger services due the COVID-19 situation…

KfW IPEX-Bank, leading a consortium consisting of six international banks, is structuring the financing of two cruise ships for Genting Hong Kong Ltd. and its brand Dream Cruises.The Global Class I and II ships are currently being built in the three shipyards of MV Werften located on the Baltic Coast in the German federal state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.The financing package comprises around EUR 2.6 billion with a total investment volume of just under EUR 3.1 billion.The structure will be backed by export credit guarantees of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Finnish export credit agency Finnvera, as well as by a guarantee from the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

Dream Cruises, a luxury cruise line owned by Genting and based in China welcome “Explorer Dream” in Shanghai as the third ship in its Dream Cruises fleet.Dream Cruises held the christening ceremony for the former SuperStar Virgo at Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal. Chinese designer Grace Chen served as the godmother and presented a fashion show with 18 models showcasing her 'Voyage' collection, walking a runway on the Palace Pool Deck."Formerly the “SuperStar Virgo” of sister brand Star Cruises, “Explorer Dream” will undergo a US 30 million dollar transformation in March 2019 that will incorporate exquisite new facilities including The Palace…

Singapore-based Sembcorp Marine (Sembmarine) secured new contracts worth $175m, for projects comprising the design and construction of a 12,000-cubic-metre (cbm) LNG bunker vessel as well as repair and modernisation works on 13 cruise ships.The LNG bunker vessel which is for delivery to Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) in 2021 will be constructed at Sembcorp Marine Tuas Boulevard Yard, said the company specialising in a full spectrum of integrated solutions in ship repair, shipbuilding, ship conversion, rig building and offshore engineering & construction.The 112m long and 22m wide LNG bunker vessel will have two GTT Mark III Flex membrane tanks with a combined 12…

Singapore-based shipbuilder Sembcorp Marine cemented its position as Asia’s top cruise ship repair and upgrade solutions provider in 2018 with the successful completion of repairs on the Costa Fortuna – the Group’s 10th and final cruise ship project this year.Operated by Costa Crociere, the 1,358-cabin vessel sailed away from Sembcorp Marine’s Admiralty Yard yesterday, joining a bevy of luxury liners that underwent repairs and upgrades at Sembcorp Marine facilities in the past 12 months.These included six vessels from leading cruise brands and long-term partners Carnival Cruises, Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, and one from new customer Norwegian Cruise Line.Already…

Earlier this summer Maritime Reporter & Engineering News ventured to Ålesund/Sunnmøre area of western Norway visiting local manufacturers and suppliers serving the global maritime industry and featuring a series of business and technology presentations by leading sector companies including Inmarsat, VARD Group, Ulstein Group, Brunvoll, Ulmatec, Jets, ABB Marine & Ports, Fostech AS and Rolls-Royce Marine. Tom Mulligan reports on new business developments and technology innovations…

MME Group has secured multiple orders for solutions that protect the newest generation of luxury cruise vessels built by MV WERFTEN (Germany) against corrosion and marine growth. The yard's "Global Class" and "Endeavor Class" vessels will be outfitted with MME Group's systems. Recently, MME Group inked the deal for the design, supply and commissioning of sacrificial anodes (SA), Impressed Current Cathodic Protection (ICCP) and Impressed Current Anti-Fouling (ICAF) systems for the Endeavor Class luxury expedition yacht (yard number 124) that MV WERFTEN builds for Crystal Cruises.

Two maritime pilots who defied fire to bring a burning ship to safety, averting a major maritime catastrophe, received the 2017 IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea during the 2017 IMO awards ceremony, held on Monday (27 November). Pilots Captain Michael G. McGee and Captain Michael C. Phillips, from Houston, United States, were recognized for their role in averting a major tragedy in September 2016. The ship they were piloting, the 247 meters-long tanker Aframax River, broke down in the Houston Ship Channel in the middle of the night and burst into flames after colliding with mooring dolphins. Captain McGee and Captain Phillips were surrounded by a towering wall of burning fuel as the raging fire quickly spread across the channel…

Just a few weeks after delivery of the Crystal Bach, shipbuilder MV WERFTEN has handed over the Crystal Mahler, the second of four Rhine Class ships for client Crystal River Cruises. After the ceremonial change of flags, the ship was christened at the outfitting quay of MV WERFTEN in Wismar. Like its sister vessel, the 135-metre long and 11.4-metre wide river cruise ship was specifically designed for exploring Europe’s rivers. It complies with the highest safety and navigation standards…

Marine compressor supplier TMC Compressors said it has won a contract from shipbuilder MV WERFTEN to supply a complete compressed air system to two new cruise ships the German shipyard group is building for Genting Hong Kong’s Star Cruises. Under the contract, TMC will manufacture and deliver 4 x 85 KW marine compressors as well as 4 x RD600 air driers to each of the two cruise ships. The equipment will be delivered to MV WERFTEN’s yard in Wismar, Germany, where the cruise ships are being built. The contract value is undisclosed.

Last year Genting Hong Kong acquired shipbuilding capacity in Germany. When and why was the decision made to become a shipbuilder? With the rapid growth of the world cruise industry, especially in China, this has led to cruise ship order book reaching an all-time high, with orders placed as far out as 2026, nearly 10 years from now. In order to ensure that the company can build the required number of cruise ships for three brands in the next decade, it is strategic that we acquired…

Leveraging its experience in the distinct polar and cruise vessel segments, ABB and its Azipod are at the forefront of the booming polar passenger vessel market. As world travelers continually seek access to more exotic and exciting destinations, evolving cruise shipping trends have triggered an order boom for passenger vessels capable of plying some of the most treacherous Arctic and Antarctic routes. Required for this class of ships is a range of equipment and technologies that enable safe and comfortable sailing through polar waters.

Genting Hong Kong is a rapidly growing global travel brand, spreading its wings – literally and figuratively – into ocean cruise, yacht, river cruise, air and shipbuilding. Maritime Reporter & Engineering News speaks with key executives at Genting Hong Kong: Mona Lai, SVP Corporate Communication; Gustaf Gronberg, SVP Shipbuilding & Marine Operations; and Jarmo Lakso, Managing Director, MV Werften, for insights on the future growth strategy. Genting Hong Kong has been an active newsmaker in the cruise sector during the past year.

ABB will supply the complete power, propulsion and automation package for a series of new cruise vessels being built by MV WERFTEN for Genting Hong Kong brands Crystal Cruises and Star Cruises. The three Crystal Cruises’ luxury “Endeavor Class” mega-yachts will feature a Polar Class 6 and enable cruising in the Arctic; then follow the route of migrating whales along the coast of the Americas and Europe to Antarctica during winter. The Star Cruises “Global Class” vessels will be two of the largest on the market with 204,000 tons registered tonnage each.

Evac said it will supply Complete Cleantech Solutions for two Global class cruise ships for Genting Hong Kong’s Star Lines. The two 201,000-gross-ton vessels will be built by the German shipyard MV Werften for deliveries in 2020 and 2021. The contract, signed December 7, 2016, gives Genting an option on two additional Global class vessels. The Genting vessels will carry Evac’s Complete Cleantech Solution, which includes vacuum collection, vacuum toilets, wastewater treatment,…

German shipyard MV WERFTEN, a wholly owned subsidiary of Genting Hong Kong, said it will install the Evac Complete Cleantech Solution on board two new Global Class ships for Asia-Pacific cruise line Star Cruises. The contract also covers two optional cruise vessels of the same class in the future. Star Cruises’ Global Class vessels are specifically designed for the growing Asian market. Delivery of the two 201,000 GT vessels is scheduled for 2020 and 2021. At over 340 meters long, the new vessels will be the largest ever built at the shipyards of MV WERFTEN.

Genting Cruises has confirmed its build program for the MV WERFTEN shipyard group following the launch of the first Asian luxury cruise ship, Genting Dream, in Singapore, Hong Kong and Guangzhou, China. Executive Chairman, Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay, stated during the three events that Genting is committed to the long-term development of the cruise industry in Asia. With the rapid growth of the cruise industry in Asia but only a limited number of yards capable of building large cruise ships…

MAN Diesel & Turbo and MV Werften have concluded a contract to equip two Global Class cruise ships for Star Cruises. With a registered tonnage (RT) of 200,000 tons each, the ships will be some of the largest on the market and will each be equipped with six type 48/60CR engines with a combined output of 96,000 kW. The ships are scheduled for delivery in 2020 and 2021. The customer and recipient of these ocean-going giants, which will operate in China and all over Asia, is the Star Cruises brand of Genting Hong Kong.