The Star Ferry Page (1)

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