Iconic Star Ferry in Move to New Wan Chai Pier
With effect from the first departure on Saturday 30 August 2014, Hong Kong's “Wan Chai – Tsim Sha Tsui” ferry service will operate from the new Wan Chai Ferry Pier. The existing Wan Chai (East) ferry Pier will be closed simultaneously, informs the Star Ferry Company.
Star Ferry
The Star Ferry's ferry crossings at Victoria Harbour are acclaimed as an important part of the commuter system between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, and essential journeys for visitors. The National Geographic Traveler named the ferry crossing as one of 50 places of a lifetime. The ferry ride is also well known as one of the world’s best value-for-money sightseeing trips.
The Star Ferry traces its origins to 1880 when Dorabjee Naorojee Mithaiwala, a Parsee cook, embarked on a new vocation. He began a ferry service across Victoria Harbour with his steamboat, the Morning Star.
The fledgling service was known as the Kowloon Ferry Company. A local newspaper reported in 1888 that the ferry ran at all hours between Pedders Wharf and Tsimshatsui on a 40-minute to one-hour trip. On Mondays and Fridays, the service halted for the boat’s coaling. By 1890, the Kowloon Ferry boasted four single-deck Star Ferries. Later on, the ferries acquired a second deck.
During the next ten years, businessman Sir Catchick Paul Chater bought all the boats and in May 1898 the Star Ferry Company, as it is known today, became a public company. Its name derives from the ferries, which all bore the name “Star”.
The Company celebrated its centenary in 1998. Its fleet of 9 ferries is now serving two franchised ferry routes between Tsimshatsui and Central,Tsimshatsui and Wanchai.