SuperStar Aquarius at Ocean Terminal, Hong Kong, December 2007 |
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| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: | 1993—1998: Windward 1998—2007: Norwegian Wind 2007 onwards: SuperStar Aquarius |
| Owner: | 1993—1998: Kloster Cruise 1998—2004: Norwegian Cruise Line[1] 2004 onwards: Star Cruises[2] |
| Operator: | 1993—2007: Norwegian Cruise Line 2007 onwards: Star Cruises[1] |
| Port of registry: | Nassau, Bahamas[1][3] |
| Builder: | Chantiers de l'Atlantique, St. Nazaire, France |
| Cost: | $240 million[4] |
| Yard number: | D30[1] |
| Laid down: | 16 December 1991[5] |
| Launched: | 14 November 1992[1] |
| Acquired: | 4 May 1993[1] |
| In service: | 14 May 1993[1] |
| Identification: | IMO 9008421[1] |
| Status: | In service |
| General characteristics (as built)[1] | |
| Class and type: | Dreamward class cruise ship |
| Tonnage: |
39,127 GRT 4,800 metric tons deadweight (DWT) |
| Length: | 190.04 m (623 ft 6 in) |
| Beam: | 28.85 m (94 ft 8 in) |
| Draught: | 7.00 m (23 ft) |
| Ice class: | 1 C[3] |
| Installed power: | MAN diesels[6] 18,480 kW[4] |
| Propulsion: | Twin propellers[6] |
| Speed: | 20 kn (37.04 km/h) (service speed)[6] |
| Capacity: | 1246 passengers (all berths)[6] |
| General characteristics (as Superstar Aquarius)[7] | |
| Tonnage: | 51,309 GT (gross tonnage) |
| Displacement: | 6,731 DWT |
| Length: | 229.84 m (754 ft 1 in) |
| Beam: | 32.10 m (105 ft 4 in) |
| Draught: | 7.01 m (23 ft) |
| Depth: | 9.66 m (31 ft 8 in) |
| Decks: | 10 (passenger accessible)[4] |
| Speed: | 18 kn (33.34 km/h) (service speed) 21 kn (38.89 km/h) (maximum speed)[8] |
| Capacity: | 1,529 passengers (lower berths)[8] 2,156 passengers (all berths)[4] |
| Crew: | 700[4] |
MS SuperStar Aquarius is a cruise ship owned and operated by Star Cruises. She was built in 1993 by the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in St. Nazaire, France for Kloster Cruise (Norwegian Cruise Line) as MS Windward. In 1998 she was lengthened at Lloyd Werft in Bremerhaven, Germany and renamed MS Norwegian Wind. In 2007 she was transferred to the fleet of Star Cruises.[1][6]
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Entering service in 1993 as Windward, she was the second of two sister vessels built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique for Kloster Cruise for use under their Norwegian Cruise Line brand. In 1998 both vessels were lengthened by insertion of a 130 foot midsection and emerged with new names. Windward became Norwegian Wind, and Dreamward became Norwegian Dream. This work was completed by Lloyd Werft shipyard in Bremerhaven, Germany. As with the rest of NCL's fleet, Norwegian Wind operated with the "Freestyle" cruising concept, which allows guests to dine in any number of restaurants, in casual attire, at times of their own choosing.
In 2004 ownership of the Norwegian Wind was transferred to NCL's parent company Star Cruises, in anticipation of transference of the ship to the Star Cruises' fleet.[2] The transfer was realised in April 2007, when the ship joined the Star Cruises fleet under the name SuperStar Aquarius. After refitting and refurbishment of the public areas to cater to the Asia-Pacific market, as well as a new livery to match the rest of the Star Cruises fleet, the vessel is normally based at the Ocean Terminal, Hong Kong. Her itineraries include one-night high sea cruises and occasionally, two-night cruises to Xiamen and Haikou, China. Between March and October 2008, SuperStar Aquarius was based in Singapore offering a variation of four-night, two-night, and one-night cruises. She returned to Hong Kong in late October 2008 and resumed her current itinerary.
A 51 year-old Chinese male gambler, identified only as Xu by the police, jumped overboard from the ship to his death when the ship returned to Hong Kong on 19 September 2010, after losing HK$5 million playing baccarat. Rescuers searched for Xu for almost an hour before fishing him out of the water. He was certified dead by the ship's doctor.[9]
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