German shipbuilding giant
Meyer Werft has commenced
construction of the first of two
giant 21-deck flagships for Asian
cruise line Star Cruises.
Steel-cutting ceremonies were
held this week at the yard’s
headquarters in Papenburg,
attended by executives from Star
Cruises’ parent firm Genting Hong
Kong.
Labelled
as the “next
generation” of
ship for Star
Cruises, the
two vessels
will offer 1,600
berths to
accommodate
4,500 passengers and 2,000 crew.
The two ships are un-named at
present and are on track to be
delivered in late 2016 and early
2017 and will both homeport in
the line’s Asian heartland.
Genting Hong Kong chairman
and chief executive officer Tan Sri
Lim Kok Thay was present at the steel-cutting
ceremony and said the moment
was a new chapter for Star
Cruises in reaffirming its brand as
a leader in Asian travel.
“The delivery of these two
newly commissioned mega cruise
ships will enable us to continue to
strengthen and further enhance
our competitiveness across our
key source markets,” he said.
Both vessels will be significantly
larger than anything else
currently sailing in the Star fleet.
Currently, the closest operating
for Star is the SuperStar Virgo at
2,800 passenger capacity.
Star Cruises says both ships will
offer a wide variety of itineraries,
leisure & entertainment options.
Staterooms will range in size all
the way up to private villas, with
over 30 different food & beverage
outlets ranging from gourmet
restaurants, bars and cafes.
In a nod to its
Asian culture,
the ships will
also offer a
traditional
street night
market
complete with
hawker stalls
serving famous
Asian delicacy food items.
Traditional amenities will
include a waterpark with water
slides for both adults and
children, retail area, theatre,
health and fitness facilities and
rooms for onboard conferences.
MEANWHILE, Star Cruises’
parent firm Genting Hong Kong
has issued a profit downgrade,
saying it will turn an after-tax
profit of US$235 million, down
from last year’s result of $483m.
The company has blamed the
reduced result on the disposal
of certain stakes relating to new
shares issued to fund the buyout
of Prestige Cruises International.
FURTHER, the line says it will
relocate its SuperStar Virgo and
SuperStar Aquarius to homeport
in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, with
the two vessels to operate 32
departures for up to 60,000 pax
