MS Star Pisces at Ocean Terminal, Hong Kong in 2005 |
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| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: | 1990–1994: Kalypso 1994 onwards: Star Pisces[1] |
| Owner: | 1990–1994: Rederi AB Slite 1994 onwards: Star Cruises[1] |
| Operator: | 1990–1994: Rederi AB Slite (in Viking Line traffic) 1994 onwards: Star Cruises[1] |
| Port of registry: | 1990–1994: Slite, Sweden 1994 onwards: Panama City, Panama[1] |
| Builder: | Masa-Yards, Turku, Finland[1] |
| Cost: | SEK 650 million[2] |
| Yard number: | 1298[1] |
| Launched: | 27 August 1989[1] |
| Acquired: | 26 April 1990[1] |
| In service: | 30 April 1990[1] |
| Identification: | IMO number: 8710857[1] |
| Status: | In service |
| General characteristics (as Kalypso)[1] | |
| Class and type: | Athena-class cruiseferry |
| Tonnage: | 40,012 GT (gross tonnage) 2,800 metric tons deadweight (DWT) |
| Length: | 176.60 m (579 ft 5 in) |
| Beam: | 29.61 m (97 ft 2 in) |
| Draught: | 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in) |
| Decks: | 12[3] |
| Installed power: | 4 × Wärtsilä-Sulzer 9ZAL40S diesels 17,811 kW (23,885 hp) |
| Propulsion: | 2 propellers[2] |
| Speed: | 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph) |
| Capacity: | 2,200 passengers 1,950 berths 490 cars |
| General characteristics (as Star Pisces)[2] | |
| Type: | cruise ship |
| Tonnage: | 40,053 GT (gross tonnage) |
| Capacity: | 1,900 passengers |
| Crew: | 750 |
| Notes: | Otherwise the same as built |
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.
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The late 1980s were a time of hectic new building in Baltic Sea 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 Kalypso's 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.
After the end of her service for Viking Line, the Kalypso sailed to Naantali, 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.[4]
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.
Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Star_Pisces_(ship,_1989) Star Pisces (ship, 1989)] at Wikimedia Commons
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