MS Star
Encyclopedia
MS Star is a fast Ro-Pax ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
operated by the Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
n ferry company Tallink
Tallink
Tallink is an Estonian shipping company currently operating Baltic Sea cruiseferries and ropax ships from Estonia to Finland, Estonia to Sweden, Latvia to Sweden and Finland to Germany. They also own Silja Line and a part of SeaRail...
. She was built at Aker Finnyards Hietalahti shipyard, Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
and entered service on Tallink's Helsinki–Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
service on 12 April 2007.
Star was the first fast ferry capable of around-the-year service used on the Helsinki–Tallinn route. The ship's design is heavily based on that of MS SeaFrance Rodin
MV SeaFrance Rodin
MV SeaFrance Rodin is a ropax ferry owned by SeaFrance and operated on their Dover—Calais route. She was built in 2001 by Aker Finnyards in Rauma, Finland for SeaFrance, as a passenger and roll-on roll-off car and commercial vehicle ferry; Rodin is engined by Wartsila Corporation, Helsinki,...
, built by Aker Finnyards for SeaFrance
SeaFrance
SeaFrance is a ferry company based in France that operates ferry services between Calais, France, and Dover, England.SeaFrance is 100% owned by the French railways, SNCF....
in 2001. Originally it was reported the Star would have no passenger beds, but later specifications included beds for 520 passengers, meaning that the ship can offer short overnight cruises to Tallinn as well as a transportation service during the day. The green external livery of the ship is according to Tallink promotion material "meant to reflect the environmentally friendly aspects of the ship's design".
Star has three daily departures from both Helsinki and Tallinn, with one crossing taking two hours. In Tallink marketing, Star has often been referred to as "Tallink Star". The ship's planned original delivery date was 5 April 2007, but this was postponed until 12 April 2007, owing to problems with the main engines.