Star Pisces
| Company type | Cruise ship |
|---|---|
| Industry | Cruise ship operations |
| Predecessor | Kalypso (cruiseferry) |
| Founded | 1990 |
| Fate | Sold for scrapping in 2022 |
| Headquarters | Hong Kong , Hong Kong |
| Owner | Star Cruises (until 2022) |
| Parent | Genting Hong Kong (until 2022) |
MS Star Pisces was a cruise ship under the ownership of Star Cruises that operated short cruises departing from Hong Kong from 1994 until 2022. Initially constructed as the cruiseferry Kalypso in 1990 by Masa-Yards at the Turku New Shipyard in Finland for Rederi AB Slite, she serviced Viking Line's route between Finland and Sweden. After Rederi AB Slite went bankrupt in 1993, the vessel was acquired by Star Cruises and received her new name. The ship was ultimately sold for scrapping in 2022.
Viking Line
From 1985 through 1991, both Viking Line and Silja Line expanded their Baltic Sea ferry fleets with eleven new vessels. In 1988, Rederi AB Slite commissioned the second of a pair of sister ferries, designed by Per Dockson and constructed by Wärtsilä Marine for Viking Line operations. The first sister ship, Athena, was delivered in April 1989. However, Wärtsilä Marine declared bankruptcy in October 1989 while Kalypso was still being built. Masa-Yards was then formed to assume control of Wärtsilä’s Turku and Helsinki yards, which caused the final cost of Kalypso to surpass initial budget projections.
Upon delivery on April 30, 1990, Kalypso served the Turku–Mariehamn–Stockholm route smoothly for three years. In 1993, Rederi AB Slite intended to take delivery of the world's largest ferry at that time, Europa. Due to a devaluation of the Swedish krona, however, Europa ended up being incorporated into rival Silja Line's fleet instead. This financial setback led to Slite declaring bankruptcy in April of that year.
After Slite's insolvency, both Kalypso and her sister vessel were put up for auction in August 1993. Interested parties included SF Line (the remaining Viking Line operator), P&O Ferries, and DFDS. Ultimately, Malaysia-based Star Cruises purchased both ships. Although Kalypso was Slite’s last delivered vessel, she continued operating under Viking Line until January 1994.
Star Cruises
Following her departure from Viking Line service, Kalypso was taken to Naantali, Finland where she was renamed Star Pisces and underwent conversion into a cruise ship at Finnyards in Rauma. Starting in April 1994, she operated casino cruises out of Singapore. Originally painted with a dark blue hull accented by a red stripe, she was later repainted entirely white to align with Star Cruises’ fleet branding. Subsequently, the vessel was assigned to both day and night cruises originating from Hong Kong. Operations were suspended in May 2009 and the ship was laid up in Hong Kong before relocating to Port Klang.
In February 2010, Star Pisces recommenced cruising from Penang until December that year. She underwent refurbishment in Singapore during January 2011—including receiving hull artwork as the first Star Cruises vessel to feature such decoration—and returned to Hong Kong for daily high sea cruises by February.
A significant drydock refit began in February 2013.
In April 2022, after Genting Hong Kong—the parent company of Star Cruises—collapsed financially, Star Pisces, along with sister ships SuperStar Aquarius and SuperStar Gemini, were sold for dismantling. The vessel was beached at a scrapyard in Alang, India on July 12, 2022 under the name Pisc.