ferry pier at tsim sha tsui type ferry services across victoria harbour founded 1888 founder dorabjee naorojee mithaiwala headquarters hong kong revenue hk 72m 2006 website starferry.com.hk star ferry the ship meridian star traditional chinese transcriptions standard mandarin hanyu pinyin ti nx ng xi ol n hakka romanization tien1sin1 siau3lin2 yue cantonese jyutping tin1 sing1 siu2 leon4 ipa t n u l n star ferry routes as of 2010 . a star ferry in the 1920s . a star ferry carries passengers across victoria harbour . this particular one is painted with an advertisement that promotes hong kong as asia s world city . crew using billhook to moor ferry at central pier a method in use since the 19th century the star ferry or the star ferry company is a passenger ferry service operator and tourist attraction in hong kong . 1 its principal routes carry passengers across victoria harbour between hong kong island and kowloon . it was founded in 1888 as the kowloon ferry company adopting its present name in 1898 . the fleet of twelve ferries currently operates two routes four prior to april 1 2011 2 across the harbour carrying over 70 000 passengers a day or 26 million a year . even though the harbour is crossed by railway and road tunnels the star ferry continues to provide an inexpensive mode of harbour crossing . the company s main route runs between central and tsim sha tsui . it has been rated first in the top 10 most exciting ferry rides poll by the society of american travel writers satw in february 2009 . 3 4 contents 1 history 1.1 public protests 2 services 2.1 existing 2.2 history 2.3 charter and hire 3 fleet 4 piers 5 financial problems 6 filmography 7 image gallery 8 see also 9 further reading 10 references 11 external links history edit before the steam ferry was first created people would cross the harbour in sampans . in 1870 a man named grant smith brought a twin screw wooden hulled boat from england and started running it across the harbour at irregular intervals . 5 in july 1873 an attempt was made to run steam ferries between hong kong and kowloon . this was stopped at the request of the british consul in canton who feared it would enable visits to gambling houses in kowloon . 5 it is thought that a service to the public was established in the mid to late 1870s after the cession of kowloon to the british in 1860 . 6 the company was founded by parsee merchant dorabjee naorojee mithaiwala as the kowloon ferry company in 1888 . naorojee bought smith s boat 5 and later acquired the steam vessels morning star and evening star from a mr buxoo . 6 the popularity of this means of transport enabled him to increase his fleet to four vessels within 10 years the morning star evening star rising star and guiding star . each boat had a capacity of 100 passengers and the boats averaged 147 crossings each day . 5 he incorporated the business into the star ferry co ltd in 1898 prior to his retirement to india . 6 the company name was inspired by his love of alfred lord tennyson s poem crossing the bar of which the first line reads sunset and evening star and one clear call for me . citation needed at the time regular service was initiated ships were moored by having a sailor on the vessel toss the rope to another on the pier who would then catch it with a long billhook . this is still done today . 7 on his retirement in 1898 naorojee sold the company to the hongkong and kowloon wharf and godown company limited at that time owned by jardine matheson & co. and sir paul chater . 5 a pier constructed on the western end of salisbury road opened in 1906 but was destroyed by a typhoon in september 1906 . in the early 1950s construction of the present twin piered terminal commenced on both sides of victoria harbour designed to handle 55 million passenger trips a year . 8 the structure was completed in 1957 concurrent with the edinburgh place ferry pier built on the island side . at the turn of the century hong kong currency and canton currency were both accepted as legal tender in hong kong . in the autumn of 1912 following a devaluation the star ferry caused a controversy by insisting together with the tramways that payment had to be made in hong kong currency only . canton coinage would no longer be accepted . 9 in 1924 the yaumati ferry operated the route to kowloon in a duopoly . 10 in 1933 the star ferry made history by building the electric star the first diesel electric passenger ferry of its kind . 5 by 1941 the company had six vessels . during the japanese occupation of hong kong the competing yaumati ferry was allowed to continue while the japanese commandeered the star ferry for their own purposes . the golden star and the meridian star were used to transport prisoners of war from sham shui po to kai tak airport . 5 in 1943 the golden star was bombed and sunk in the canton river by the americans and the electric star was sunk in the harbour . after the war the ferries were recovered and returned to service . 5 until the opening of the cross harbour tunnel in 1972 the star ferry remained the main means of public transportation between hong kong island and the kowloon side . the star ferry operates on a franchise from the government . it was last renewed in march 1998 the year of its centenary . 9 public protests edit main article hong kong 1966 riots in 1966 a fare increase of 5 cents or 25 % of the ferry was a political milestone as it caused a 27 year old student to go on hunger strike in protest at the edinburgh place terminal . his arrest sparked the 1966 hong kong riots . 6 main article edinburgh place ferry pier controversy on 11 november 2006 the end of an era was marked when the third generation pier in central the edinburgh place ferry pier ended its mission along with the big clock tower . the pier was demolished to make way for reclamation amidst great controversy and important protests . services edit existing edit an adult star ferry token the star ferry operates the following cross harbour routes the prices are effective from 24 june 2012 11 central to tsim sha tsui . for lower deck it costs hk 2.0 on mondays to fridays ; hk 2.8 on saturdays sundays and public holidays . for upper deck hk 2.5 on mondays to fridays ; hk 3.4 on saturdays sundays and public holidays . wan chai to tsim sha tsui for hk 2.5 on mondays to fridays ; hk 3.4 on saturdays sundays and public holidays . harbour tour a tourist cruise making an indirect circular route to all the stops namely tsim sha tsui central and wan chai . passengers may use octopus or tokens to pay for the ride . tokens are available in the vending machines at the piers . direct payment by coins at turnstile is also accepted but no change will be provided . the tsim sha tsui central route does not accept cycles but the tsim sha tsui wan chai route accepts cycles for an extra charge of hk 13 except during the evening peak hour from wan chai to tsim sha tsui . 12 history edit central to hung hom for hk 6.3 terminated effective 1 april 2011 . 13 wan chai to hung hom for hk 6.3 terminated effective 1 april 2011 . 13 charter and hire edit the star ferry golden star is available for daily charter for up to 300 people having been refurbished for cruises and functions with tables larger sightseeing windows an air conditioned area and a public address and music system . fleet edit there are currently 9 diesel electric ferries in the fleet 14 together with a tug . 15 over the years the fleet has included star ferry fleet name imo reg year built builder seats notes image green and white livery image other colors morning star 1871 english built steamboat app 100 the first star ferry 15 served from 1871 to 1898 evening star 1888 english built steamboat 100 the second star ferry 15 served from 1888 to 1902 rising star 1890 100 served from 1890 to 1902 guiding star 1896 100 served from 1896 to 1904 morning star served from 1898 to 1903 northern star 1900 served from 1900 to 1959 southern star c. 1900 polar star 1901 served from 1901 to 1927 morning star served from 1904 to 1928 electric star 1933 served from 1933 to 1968 converted to diesel boat in 1948 golden star 1928 served from 1928 to 1968 converted to diesel boat in 1953 celestial star 8951360 a2071 1956 2011 hong kong & whampoa shipyard 576 currently the oldest vessel in service radiant star 1956 1971 16 likely hong kong & whampoa shipyard featured in the film the world of suzie wong meridian star 5232725 a2671 1958 hong kong & whampoa shipyard 576 modified in 2012 as back up vessel for star ferry harbour tour ; subsequently re modified to ordinary ferry standard in 2013 solar star 5333335 a2681 1958 hong kong & whampoa shipyard 576 northern star 8951372 a2971 1959 hong kong & whampoa shipyard 576 night star 8891091 a3136 1963 hong kong & whampoa shipyard 576 named for original kowloon ferry company s night star day star 8891120 a4041 1964 hong kong & whampoa shipyard 576 shining star 8891118 a3841 1964 hong kong & whampoa shipyard 576 now used for the star ferry harbour tour top sections were opened up ; reproduction of 3rd generation ferries c. 1920s twinkling star 8891132 a2961 1964 hong kong & whampoa shipyard 576 morning star 8891144 a2801 1965 hong kong & whampoa shipyard 576 named for original kowloon ferry company s morning star silver star 8891156 a4241 1965 hong kong & whampoa shipyard 576 golden star 8951384 a5153 1989 2011 wang tak engineering & shipbuilding ltd 762 world star 8890968 a5243 1989 2011 wang tak engineering & shipbuilding ltd 762 glowing star hong kong shipyard 288 ex british army vessel rented by star ferry between 2001 and 2005 kowloon tugboat pacific princess 8624527 1971 bought from australia as temeraire ii and in fleet from 1988 to 1994 as lady star ; subsequently modified to corporate yacht of kowloon wharf group piers edit the tsim sha tsui ferry pier for star ferry the fa ade of the fourth generation star ferry pier in central hong kong star ferry pier central at central district first generation 1890 pedder street and chater road 5 second generation 1912 at pedder street the present site of jardine house third generation 1957 near edinburgh place fourth generation 2006 at man kwong street piers 7 and 8 of central ferry piers until 2011 . pier 7 served tsim sha tsui while pier 8 served hung hom piers 7 of central ferry piers since 2011 . pier 8 was converted into a museum in 2013 . star ferry pier at tsim sha tsui 1957 wan chai pier second generation 1968 closed effective 29 august 2014 . 17 third generation 2014 in service since 30 august 2014 . 17 hung hom ferry pier service terminated effective 1 april 2011 . 13 financial problems edit since the central star ferry pier was moved from its old pier next to city hall to the new location outside international finance centre passenger numbers have fallen drastically to mainly tourists and a small number of commuters . this has meant the star ferry company has lost many millions of