Two new ships being built for Star Cruises in Germany will have 3,370 lower berths and be 151,300 tons each, scheduled for delivery in October 2016 and October 2017 respectively.
“This is a very generous and premium ton-to-lower berth and crew-to-passenger ratio that will allow us to differentiate ourselves from other operators entering the Asian market,” said Michael Hackman, executive vice president, marine operations and new ship building for Genting Hong Kong, which owns Star Cruises.
On the power side, the newbuilds will have five main engines and two large pods, rated at 20.5 MW. The powerplant arrangement will include three 12-cylinder and two 14-cylinder MAN 48/60 engines.
“This provides flexibility to run the diesel generators at the most economical load under most speed requirements,” said Hackman. “We selected the MAN 48/60 tier two engines with four mapping curves as they provide the most optimal fuel consumption on the most common load levels for our operating profile.”
“From an environmental point of view on our new flagships, to reduce fuel requirements, we are installing a trim optimization system onboard and, on the exterior, the hull coating system incorporates the most advanced silicone based paint to decrease drag in the water,” he explained. “Our waste management systems will follow the highest marine industry standards and its bio-waste treatment system will be equipped with dryers with the ability to incinerate or bag waste materials for offloading and disposal.”
Hackman said the company did not want to build ships based on what has been done in the past, and is prepared to innovate and lead the way, although details on passenger amenities are being held close to the vest for now.
Similar to the mini-submarine going on Crystal Cruises’ new small yacht (transferred from Star Cruises), the company has ordered two five-person C-Explorer mini-submarines for the new ship. The submarines are built under supervision from DNV/GL and certified to depths of 300 meters. Star has already taken delivery of one submarine earlier this year for their smaller yacht, the Taipan.
“One of the biggest challenges with building any new, state-of-the-art cruise ship is making sure that it is still state-of-the-art when it is finally completed,” Hackman noted. “With new ships normally taking up to three years to design, construct and finish, it is important to ensure you aren’t building for today, but also predicting the future. It is important to understand not just what the next generation of passengers wants, but also how the generation after them will want to spend their holidays.”
Excerpt from Cruise Industry News Quarterly Magazine: Fall 2015
