MV China Star

MV China Star was the operating name of a distinctive large passenger vessel whose history moved through luxury cruising, gambling-ship operations, and an attempted relaunch in the Chinese cruise market. Built in Rauma, Finland, by Finnyards, the ship entered service in 1992 as Radisson Diamond for Diamond Cruise, a venture associated with Finnish banking interests and Carlson Companies, the corporate group connected with Radisson Cruises and Hotels. Its design was unusual: the vessel used a Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull, or SWATH, configuration, with two submerged hulls connected to the main superstructure. This gave it exceptional stability and made it the largest SWATH vessel in the world at the time of construction. It was also described as the only twin-hull cruise ship of its kind ever built. The ship was conceived as a premium all-balcony cruise vessel with capacity for approximately 350 passengers and more than 20,000 gross tons. Its accommodation and configuration supported a luxury positioning rather than mass-market cruising. From 1992 to 2005, it operated for Radisson Seven Seas Cruises under the Radisson Diamond name. That period established the vessel's identity as a technically innovative and high-end cruise product, although its specialized design also made it an unusual asset within the broader passenger-shipping market. In 2005, the vessel changed use and ownership. It was sold for operation as a gambling ship and subsequently operated in Hong Kong as Asia Star for Asia Cruises. It was later renamed China Star and passed among several operators. These changes shifted its market proposition from international luxury cruising toward casino and entertainment operations in Asian waters. The vessel's names therefore reflected successive commercial strategies rather than a single continuous cruise brand. In June 2011, China Cruises Company Limited acquired the ship in a transaction led by Huang Weijian, identified as the company's chief executive. The reported purchase price was $45 million, followed by a further $20 million refurbishment program. China Cruises intended to use the renovated vessel as the first ship in a new luxury cruise line. Operations under the new plan began on March 9, 2012. The relaunch represented an effort to reposition an aging but highly distinctive vessel for a Chinese luxury-cruise audience. The ship was laid up in Shenzhen on March 5, 2012, around the period of its planned relaunch, and it did not develop into a durable operating brand. In September 2022, severe winds drove the vessel, then associated with the name Saipan Star, aground near Shandong. Reports available in 2023 described it as abandoned and wrecked on a sandbar. As a result, MV China Star is best understood as a defunct vessel identity and commercial operating brand rather than an active cruise company. Its historical significance rests primarily on its rare SWATH twin-hull construction, its luxury-cruise origins, and its successive transformations into a gambling ship and proposed Chinese cruise-line flagship.

MV China Star began life as Radisson Diamond, a purpose-built luxury cruise ship constructed by Finnyards in Rauma, Finland. The project was developed for Diamond Cruise, a consortium associated with several Finnish banks and Carlson Companies, the group connected with Radisson Cruises and Hotels. The vessel entered service in 1992 for Radisson Seven Seas Cruises. Its engineering was the defining feature of the ship. Rather than using a conventional monohull or a standard catamaran arrangement, it employed a Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull design. The submerged twin hulls reduced the waterplane area and were intended to improve stability, while the passenger superstructure was carried above them. With more than 20,000 gross tons and accommodation for about 350 passengers, the ship was the largest SWATH vessel in the world when built. Its all-balcony layout reinforced its luxury positioning and distinguished it from larger, more conventional cruise ships. Radisson Diamond operated in the luxury-cruise market from 1992 until 2005. That year it was sold for conversion into a gambling ship. It subsequently operated in Hong Kong as Asia Star for Asia Cruises. The vessel was later renamed China Star and passed through several operating arrangements. These changes reflected the commercial difficulty of maintaining a highly specialized luxury cruise ship and the appeal of alternative entertainment and casino uses in Asian markets. In June 2011, China Cruises Company Limited acquired the vessel in a deal led by Huang Weijian, the company's chief executive. The reported acquisition price was $45 million, and the new owner reportedly allocated another $20 million to refurbishment. The plan was to make the ship the first vessel of a new Chinese luxury cruise line. Operations were scheduled or reported to have commenced on March 9, 2012. The ship was also reported laid up in Shenzhen on March 5, 2012, indicating that the relaunch did not develop into a stable long-term operating program. By the later stages of its life, the vessel was associated with the name Saipan Star. On September 21, 2022, strong winds pushed it aground near Shandong. The ship was described in reports available in 2023 as abandoned and wrecked on a sandbar. The commercial identity MV China Star is therefore no longer active. Its legacy is primarily technical and historical: it was an exceptionally rare large SWATH passenger vessel whose career moved from luxury cruising to gambling operations and finally to an unsuccessful Chinese cruise-line revival.

• 2022

  Grounding near Shandong

  [1]MV China Staren.wikipedia.org

  Severe winds drive the vessel, then associated with the Saipan Star name, aground near Shandong.

• 2012

  China Cruises relaunch attempt

  [1]MV China Staren.wikipedia.org

  Operations begin on March 9 as the first ship of the proposed China Cruises luxury line; the ship is also reported laid up in Shenzhen in the same period.

• 2011

  China Cruises Company Limited acquisition

  [1]MV China Staren.wikipedia.org

  China Cruises Company Limited acquires the vessel in a transaction led by Huang Weijian and begins a refurbishment and relaunch effort.

• 2005

  Sale into gambling-ship operations

  [1]MV China Staren.wikipedia.org

  After operating as Radisson Diamond, the ship is sold for use as a gambling vessel and later operates in Hong Kong as Asia Star.

• 1992

  Radisson Diamond enters service

  [1]MV China Staren.wikipedia.org

  The Finnish-built vessel enters service for Radisson Seven Seas Cruises as a 350-passenger all-balcony luxury cruise ship.

A highly specialized premium passenger vessel positioned at different times as an all-balcony luxury cruise ship, a Hong Kong gambling ship, and the proposed flagship of a Chinese luxury cruise line.

• Luxury cruise ship · 1992

  Radisson Diamond

  The ship's original luxury-cruise configuration, operated for Radisson Seven Seas Cruises from 1992 to 2005. It carried approximately 350 passengers, offered all-balcony accommodation, and used a distinctive SWATH twin-hull design that provided an unusually stable platform for a large passenger vessel.

• Gambling ship · 2005

  Asia Star

  The name used during the ship's Hong Kong gambling-ship phase after its 2005 sale and transfer to Asia Cruises. This iteration shifted the vessel away from international luxury cruising toward casino and entertainment operations.

• Luxury cruise relaunch · 2012

  China Star

  The identity used for the vessel after later ownership and operator changes, including China Cruises Company Limited's plan to make it the first ship of a new Chinese luxury cruise line. The relaunch included a reported refurbishment program but did not result in a durable active brand.

• 2011

  Acquisition and refurbishment by China Cruises Company LimitedM&A

  Background

  China Cruises Company Limited sought a flagship for a new Chinese luxury cruise line and acquired the unusual vessel in June 2011.

  Action taken

  The company purchased the ship in a reported $45 million transaction and committed a further reported $20 million to refurbishment.

  Aftermath

  Operations were reported to begin in March 2012, but the vessel was laid up in Shenzhen and the planned cruise-line expansion did not become an enduring operation.

  Reported purchase price and refurbishment expenditure. $45 million purchase price; $20 million refurbishment expenditure (2011-2012)

  Source

• 2005

  Conversion from luxury cruising to gambling operationsStrategy

  Background

  After more than a decade as Radisson Diamond, the specialized passenger vessel was sold for a different commercial role in Asian waters.

  Action taken

  The ship entered gambling-ship service and later operated in Hong Kong under the Asia Star name.

  Aftermath

  The vessel continued under successive names and operators, including China Star, rather than remaining in its original Radisson luxury-cruise role.

  Source

1. 1MV China Staren.wikipedia.org