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MV China Star (中华之星) is the world's largest ship with a SWATH design, and the only twin-hull cruise ship ever built. It was sold and has operated in Hong Kong as the gambling ship Asia Star for Asia Cruises beginning in 2005, and the ship was later renamed China Star and was operated by several operators. Floating Casino Cruise Liner Entering Hong Kong, There travel out to the open seas as there are no control of cambling on open waters.
The residents of Hong Kong love gambling, but there are is only one legal outlet – horse racing. The most common workaround for those wanting high stakes thrills is a short ferry trip to the casinos of Macau, but there is another one – boarding a casino ship bound for international waters.
‘Jimei’ is the easiest casino ship to find – by day it is usually moored out in the middle of Victoria Harbour.
By afternoon it moves to the China Ferry Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui, ready for the punters to board.
As darkness falls, she departs the wharf.
Headed 12 nautical miles due south of Hong Kong, where the laws of the land no longer apply.
Come morning, she will steam back into Hong Kong, some punters returning with their winnings, others with the shirts on their back.
Casino Cruise Ship Hong Kong Cruise
Tickets on a casino ships cost somewhere between HK$400-500 for an overnight trip, including buffet meals, a karaoke bar pass the time until the casino opens, and a bed for you to ponder your losses.
Further reading
From Quartz – 16 hours on one of Hong Kong’s overnight casino cruise boats:
Casino ships have an unsavory reputation, including links to triads and prostitution. The perceived lawlessness of “international waters” makes gambling on board, miles from shore and far from any law enforcement, seem much more shady than heading over to glittering Macau. To see how well that reputation matched reality, we spent a night afloat.
The South China Morning Post also took a ride – A slice of the gambler’s life on Neptune’s casino cruise:
The casino ship, which has been operating out of Hong Kong for nearly four years, is hardly the ‘brand new’ five-star attraction touted in the glossy brochure, and the Russian signs on various doors hint at a previous life in colder climes. However, the cabins are clean and comfortable, the food is plentiful and reasonably varied, and the atmosphere is less smoke-filled than you might expect for a nation of chain-smokers.
But the conditions for staff onboard the ships is another matter:
The galley smells like decay. Flies circle dirty pots and pans, and the temperature on board is sweltering. While the bustle of Hong Kong continues outside, a crew of 46 men and women have been stuck for six months on a casino ship anchored in the eastern harbor, near Kai Tak Cruise Terminal.
| History | |
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| Name: |
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| Owner: |
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| Port of registry: |
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| Builder: | Rauma Finnyards (now STX Finland Cruise Oy), Finlandr |
| Launched: | 20 June 1991[3] |
| Maiden voyage: | 5 July 1992[3] |
| Identification: |
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| Status: | In service[1] |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | |
| Tonnage: | 20,295 GT[1] |
| Length: | 131.2 metres (430 ft) |
| Beam: | 31.96 metres (104.9 ft) |
| Draught: | 7.6 metres (25 ft) |
| Decks: | 12[4] |
| Installed power: | Wärtsilä engines |
| Speed: | 14.15 knots (26.21 km/h; 16.28 mph)[3] or 12.5 knots (23.2 km/h; 14.4 mph)[5] |
| Capacity: | 354 passengers in 177 cabins[6] or 172 cabins[7] |
| Crew: | 150[5] / 200[8] |
MV China Star (中华之星) is the world's largest ship with a SWATH design,[8] and the only twin-hull cruise ship ever built.[7] It was sold and has operated in Hong Kong as the gambling ship Asia Star for Asia Cruises beginning in 2005, and the ship was later renamed China Star and was operated by several operators. The ship is currently laid up in Shenzhen, China.[6] This 350-passenger all balcony luxury cruise ship was the largest SWATH ship in the world when it was built, displacing more than 20,000 tons.[9] Originally known as the Radisson Diamond, the ship was built for Diamond Cruise, a conglomerate of several Finnish banks and the UKL-based Carlson Companies (the parent company of Radisson Cruises and Hotels). The ship was built at the Finnish Rauma shipyard by STX Finland.[10]
In June 2011,[6] the ship was purchased for $45M by China Cruises Company Limited, the deal being led by Chinese millionaire entrepreneur Huang Weijian,[7] CEO of CCCL.[11] Another $20M was spent refurbishing her.[11] Operation started on March 9, 2012, as the first ship of the new CCCL luxury cruise line.[4]
References[edit]
- ^ abc'China Star (9008407)'. Equasis. French Ministry for Transport. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
- ^Radisson Diamond
- ^ abcAsklander, Micke. 'M / S RADISSON DIAMOND'. Fakta om Fartyg (in Swedish).
- ^ ab'Wenzhou investors launch China Star cruise ship in Hong Kong'. 2012-03-09. Archived from the original on 2013-02-05. Retrieved 2012-08-06.
- ^ ab'China Star'. shipparade.com. 2012-02-04. Retrieved 2012-08-06.
- ^ abc'CHINA STAR Joins Growing Chinese Cruise Market'. Maritime Matters. March 5, 2012. Retrieved 2012-08-06.
- ^ abc'New Chinese Cruise Line to Start-Up with ex-Radisson Diamond - Cruise Industry News | Cruise News'. Cruise Industry News. 2012-03-02. Retrieved 2012-03-08.
- ^ ab'Radisson Diamond (sold)'. cruisereviews.com.
- ^Slater and Basch. 'New Ship Emulates a Luxury Hotel : The extra-wide Radisson Diamond is spacious enough for a conference center'. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
- ^'Radisson Diamond'. Castles of the Seas. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
- ^ abRaemin Zhang (7 March 2012). 'First China-owned luxury cruise ship sets sail'. Archived from the original on 20 October 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
Casino Cruise Ship Hong Kong Hong Kong
External links[edit]
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to IMO 9008407. |
- Independent professional photographs from shipspotting.com
Hong Kong Casino Cruise Ship
Casino Cruise Ship Hong Kong Kowloon