It has just been revealed that the Asia-focused Star Cruises will homeport its first newbuilding in Hong Kong. Alan Lam reports.
During the session on the state of the cruise industry in Asia at this year’s Cruise Shipping Asia-Pacific, Michael Hackman, Star Cruises’ EVP, Marine Operations and New Shipbuilding, divulged that the line’s 3,364-lower berth and 150,000-gross tonne new ship, currently on order at Meyer Werft in Germany, will be homeporting at Hong Kong’s Kai Tak International Cruise Terminal.
The ship is due for delivery in 2016.
Although no firm decision has been made yet, Hackman also disclosed that it was likely that the second newbuilding, due for delivery a year later in 2017, would also be operating from the same terminal.
This revelation came as welcoming news for Kai Tak, which will enjoy a more than doubled number of cruise calls next year and hopes that its troubled days will soon be behind it.
Michael Hackman underlined that Star Cruises was totally committed to Asia and it had no ambition of going elsewhere in the immediate future. The line currently operates two vessels, SuperStar Virgo and Star Pisces, from Hong Kong’s Ocean terminal.