Star Pisces
Encyclopedia
MS Star Pisces is a cruise ship
, owned by Star Cruises
and up until recently did short cruises from Hong Kong
after she was laid up. She was originally built as the cruiseferry
MS Kalypso in 1990 by Masa-Yards, Turku
, Finland
for Rederi AB Slite
for use in Viking Line
traffic. The ship was designed by Per Dockson.
ferry services. Between 1985 and 1991 no less than 11 new ships debuted for competing companies Viking Line and Silja Line
. During construction of the Kalypso in 1989 Wärtsilä
's shipbuilding division was declared bankrupt. A new company, Masa-Yards, was established to continue operating Wärtsilä's shipyards in Turku and Helsinki
. As a result of the bankruptcy the Kalypsos final price was much larger than originally agreed.
When delivered on April 30, 1990, the Kalypso entered traffic on the route connecting Turku to Mariehamn
and Stockholm
, where she sailed without mishap for the next three years. 1993 was to be the year when Slite would take delivery of another newbuild, the largest ferry in the world, M/S Europa
. However, the Swedish krona
was devaluated shortly before Slite were supposed to take delivery of the new ship. The Europa ended up in rival Silja Line's fleet in March 1993, and in April Rederi AB Slite was declared bankrupt.
As a result of Slite's bankruptcy, Kalypso and her sister were sold at an auction in August 1993. Bids were made by SF Line
(the remaining Viking Line operator), P&O Ferries
and DFDS
, but the final buyer emerged from Malaysia where the newly established Star Cruises
bought both ships. The Kalypso, the last ship ever delivered to Rederi AB Slite, stayed in Viking Line's traffic until January 1994.
, Finland where she was docked and renamed MS Star Pisces. Later in the same month she sailed to Finnyards, Rauma
, Finland, where she was rebuilt as a cruise ship. In April 1994 the ship joined her sister (now called MS Lankapuri Star Aquarius) for cruising from Singapore
. Originally the ship sported a dark blue hull with a narrow red band on top, which was later changed into all-white, matching the livery of other Star Cruises' ships. She was later moved to making day and night cruises from Hong Kong
. In May 2009 the ship suspended her sailings from Hong Kong and was laid up initially at Hong Kong, later moved to Port Klang
for further lay up.
In February 2010, she was reactivated for cruising out of Penang
.
She finished her deployment in Penang by the end of Dec 2010 and was refurbished in Singapore in Jan 2011. Her role in Penang was replaced by SuperStar Libra. Star Pisces also received hull art, being the first ship to feature hull art in the Star Cruises fleet. She will return to Hong Kong to offer daily high sea cruises beginning in late Feb 2011 to replace the SuperStar Aquarius, which will in turn be redeployed to Taiwan for the summer season.
Cruise ship
A cruise ship or cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience, as well as the different destinations along the way...
, owned by Star Cruises
Star Cruises
Star Cruises , a member of Genting Hong Kong, is the sixth largest cruise line in the world behind companies such as Carnival Corporation and Royal Caribbean Cruises...
and up until recently did short cruises from Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
after she was laid up. She was originally built as the cruiseferry
Cruiseferry
A cruiseferry is a ship that combines the features of a cruise ship with 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 others use the ships as means of...
MS Kalypso in 1990 by Masa-Yards, Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
for Rederi AB Slite
Rederi AB Slite
Rederi AB Slite was a Swedish shipping company, founded in 1947. The company was one of the three founding companies of Viking Line. Rederi AB Slite went bankrupt in 1993.-Early History:...
for use in Viking Line
Viking Line
Viking Line is a Finnish shipping company that operates a fleet of ferries and cruiseferries between Finland, the Åland Islands, Sweden and Estonia. Viking Line shares are quoted on the Helsinki Stock Exchange...
traffic. The ship was designed by Per Dockson.
Viking Line
The late 1980s were a time of hectic new building in Baltic SeaBaltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
ferry services. Between 1985 and 1991 no less than 11 new ships debuted for competing companies Viking Line and Silja Line
Silja Line
Silja Line is a Finnish cruiseferry brand operated by the Estonian ferry company AS Tallink Grupp, for car and passenger traffic between Finland and Sweden. The former company Silja Oy – today Tallink Silja Oy – is a subsidiary of Tallink Grupp, handling marketing and sales for Tallink and Silja...
. During construction of the Kalypso in 1989 Wärtsilä
Wärtsilä
Wärtsilä is a Finnish corporation which manufactures and services power sources and other equipment in the marine and energy markets. The core products of Wärtsilä include large combustion engines...
's shipbuilding division was declared bankrupt. A new company, Masa-Yards, was established to continue operating Wärtsilä's shipyards in Turku and Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
. As a result of the bankruptcy the Kalypsos final price was much larger than originally agreed.
When delivered on April 30, 1990, the Kalypso entered traffic on the route connecting Turku to Mariehamn
Mariehamn
Mariehamn is the capital of Åland, an autonomous territory under Finnish sovereignty. Mariehamn is the seat of the Government and Parliament of Åland, and 40% of the population of Åland live in the city...
and Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, where she sailed without mishap for the next three years. 1993 was to be the year when Slite would take delivery of another newbuild, the largest ferry in the world, M/S Europa
M/S Silja Europa
MS Silja Europa, operated by Silja Line, is one of the largest cruiseferries in the world. It was built at Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany for the ferry operator Rederi AB Slite, a part of Viking Line...
. However, the Swedish krona
Swedish krona
The krona has been the currency of Sweden since 1873. Both the ISO code "SEK" and currency sign "kr" are in common use; the former precedes or follows the value, the latter usually follows it, but especially in the past, it sometimes preceded the value...
was devaluated shortly before Slite were supposed to take delivery of the new ship. The Europa ended up in rival Silja Line's fleet in March 1993, and in April Rederi AB Slite was declared bankrupt.
As a result of Slite's bankruptcy, Kalypso and her sister were sold at an auction in August 1993. Bids were made by SF Line
SF Line
SF Line was the name of the Finnish shipping company presently known as Viking Line. The company, originally named Rederi Ab Ålandsfärjan, was one of three shipping companies that formed shipping marketing company Viking Line in 1966, the other two being Rederi Ab Vikinglinjen and Rederi AB Slite...
(the remaining Viking Line operator), P&O Ferries
P&O Ferries
P&O Ferries is the current name for the amalgamation of a range of ferry services that operated from the United Kingdom to Ireland and Continental Europe...
and DFDS
DFDS
DFDS is a Danish shipping company. It is one of the world's largest ferry operators. The companies name is an acronym of Det Forenede Dampskibs-Selskab DFDS is a Danish shipping company. It is one of the world's largest ferry operators. The companies name is an acronym of Det Forenede...
, but the final buyer emerged from Malaysia where the newly established Star Cruises
Star Cruises
Star Cruises , a member of Genting Hong Kong, is the sixth largest cruise line in the world behind companies such as Carnival Corporation and Royal Caribbean Cruises...
bought both ships. The Kalypso, the last ship ever delivered to Rederi AB Slite, stayed in Viking Line's traffic until January 1994.
Star Cruises
After the end of her service for Viking Line, the Kalypso sailed to NaantaliNaantali
Naantali is a city in south-western Finland, known as one of the most important tourist centres of the country. The municipality has a population of , and is located in the region of Finland Proper, west of Turku....
, Finland where she was docked and renamed MS Star Pisces. Later in the same month she sailed to Finnyards, Rauma
Rauma, Finland
Rauma is a town and municipality of ca. inhabitants on the west coast of Finland, north of Turku, and south of Pori. Granted town privileges on May 17, 1442 , Rauma is known of its high quality lace , and of the old wooden architecture of its centre , which is a Unesco world heritage...
, Finland, where she was rebuilt as a cruise ship. In April 1994 the ship joined her sister (now called MS Lankapuri Star Aquarius) for cruising from Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. Originally the ship sported a dark blue hull with a narrow red band on top, which was later changed into all-white, matching the livery of other Star Cruises' ships. She was later moved to making day and night cruises from Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. In May 2009 the ship suspended her sailings from Hong Kong and was laid up initially at Hong Kong, later moved to Port Klang
Port Klang
Port Klang is a town and the main gateway by sea into Malaysia. Colonially known as Port Swettenham, it is also the location of the largest and busiest port in the country. As such, its economic progress has been greatly influenced by the port activities in its area...
for further lay up.
In February 2010, she was reactivated for cruising out of Penang
Penang
Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...
.
She finished her deployment in Penang by the end of Dec 2010 and was refurbished in Singapore in Jan 2011. Her role in Penang was replaced by SuperStar Libra. Star Pisces also received hull art, being the first ship to feature hull art in the Star Cruises fleet. She will return to Hong Kong to offer daily high sea cruises beginning in late Feb 2011 to replace the SuperStar Aquarius, which will in turn be redeployed to Taiwan for the summer season.