Genting Hong Kong, the parent company of Star Cruises, has placed a major ship order that includes the line’s first ever ‘Global Class’ vessels, which will become among the largest cruise ships in the world.
In total, the Asian company has ordered 10 new vessels from Lloyd Werft, the German shipyard it recently acquired. These include six river cruisers for Crystal River Cruises, a new expedition yacht for Crystal Yacht Cruises, a new ‘Exclusive Class’ vessel for Crystal Cruises, and the two new mega-ships for Hong Kong-based Star Cruises.
Star Cruises’ two Global Class ships will each total 201,000 gross tonnes and feature 5,000 guest rooms. Designed for “worldwide cruising” and featuring “Chinese characteristics”, the new ships will be delivered to Star Cruises between 2019 and 2020.
“Passengers on our Global Class ships will enjoy an international class cruise experience to all parts of the world, yet in an environment where they will feel at home, whether it is food, culture, shows, enrichment programmes or excursions,” explained KT Lim, chairman of Genting Hong Kong.
“With the first two ships, we are focused on delivering a world-class vacation experience for Chinese cruise passengers at an affordable price.”
And this new order is just the start of the company’s explosion plans; Genting has purchased four shipyards in Germany, which will eventually be able to produce two mega-ships in excess of 200,000 gross tonnes and one 50,000-gross tonne mid-sized ship per year. This will allow Genting to rapidly build the fleets of Star Cruises, Crystal Cruises and its newest brand, Dream Cruises, as well as Crystal’s new river and yacht ventures.
The company is also buying Boeing 777 and 787 aircraft for its Crystal Luxury Air venture.
“Now it is time to come home and rebuild Star Cruises with a fleet of brand-new vessels which will transform Star Cruises to be the youngest, largest and most innovative cruise line in Asia and reclaim our leadership position,” KT Lim added.
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