Star Ferries at Kowloon and Central Hong Kong
No trip to Hong Kong would be complete without a trip on the Star Ferries. These familiar cream and green ferries have been ploughing the waters of Hong Kong for over 110 years and are an institution. I have been fortunate enough to take at least 8 trips between Kowloon and Central and each time is like a mini-adventure. There appear to be 12 ferries in service and I have managed to photograph 11 of these during the 2 trips I have made to Hong Kong. Shining Star does the harbour cruises for Star Ferries and her look is very different from the rest, she is a reproduction of the earlier ferries that used to ply these waters. The rest of the ferries were built between 1956 and 1989 in Hong Kong. There is also a ferry for hire called “Golden Star” which could be the mystery Louis Vuitton branded ferry I saw in 2008.
The vessels are double ended with a wheelhouse on either end and a central engine room with an open lower deck and an enclosed upper. Rough dimensions are: Length Overall 36.28m, Extreme Breadth 8.57m, Net tonnage: 39.69, Gross Tonnage 164.01, Passenger capacity 551, Minimum crew 5. They were all built at Hong Kong & Whampoa Shipyards. Golden Star and World Star were built in 1989 by Wang Tak Engineering & Shipbuilding Ltd and can carry 762 as opposed to 576 for the rest of the fleet.
Visit the Star Ferry Company Home Page and the >Wikipedia Page on the Star Ferries
Meridian Star (1958) |
Celestial Star (1956) |
Twinkling Star (1964) |
Day Star (1964) |
Shining Star (1964 |
Solar Star (1958) |
World Star (1989) |
Northern Star (1959) |
Silver Star (1965) |
Morning Star (1965) |
|
Golden Star (1989) |

The debate is out as to whether the upper deck is better than the lower. From a price perspective the lower is more affordable, while from a view point perspective the upper is. But, the lower deck is so much nicer because you are so close to the water.
Mooring position |
Lower Deck |
Upper Deck |
Steering Position |
Northern Star Builders Plate |
Upper Deck |
Navigation Light, Life Rafts and Funnel |
Central Ferry Terminal |
Embarkation Point |
Tsim Sha Tsui Terminal |
Tsim Sha Tsui Terminal |
DRW. © 2008-2022 This page originally created in March 2008 and updated 15 April 2010. Moved to blog 21/12/2013, images recreated 10/03/2016, posts combined 18/02/2022
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