Construction work has started on the first of Star Cruises‘ new “mega cruise ships”, which will be designed specifically for the Asian market.
A steel-cutting ceremony was held on 9 February 2015 at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany, where the new ships will be built. Star Cruises has ordered two ships from Meyer Werft, which will be delivered autumn 2016 and 2017 respectively.
Lim Kok Thay, chairman & CEO of Genting Hong Kong, Star Cruises’ parent company, was present at the ceremony.
“It is a proud moment for all of us at Genting Hong Kong, especially for me, as today’s steel-cutting ceremony marks a new chapter for [our company],” said Lim. “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.”
Upon completion, the new ships will both weigh more than 151,000 tonnes, putting them among the 10 biggest cruise liners in the world by today’s standards.
Each will feature 21 decks and offer more than 1,600 cabins, accommodating approximately 4,500 passengers and 2,000 crew members.
Tailored to the Asian market, the new ships will offer numerous F&B outlets, including street market-style areas with hawker stalls, serving Asian delicacies. There will also be theatres, health and fitness facilities, waterparks, large retail areas and MICE facilities.
Once completed, both new ships will sail to Asia, where they will join Star Cruises’ existing fleet of five ‘SuperStar’ vessels, which range in size from 40,000 to 75,000 tonnes. The company also operates the smaller all-suite Taipan boat.
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