| |
Ferry
STAR FERRY
The earliest report of ferry service appeared in a local newspaper dated 28th December 1888, "Steam launch
'Morning Star' runs as a ferry boat between Pedders Wharf and Tsimshatsui at the following hours (around 40 minutes
to one hour service during all hours of the day). There will be no launch on Monday and Friday, on account of coaling."
The ferry service was originally founded by a prominent Parsee, Dorabjee Nowrojee, under the name of the Kowloon
Ferry Company. Some reports say it was about ten years later (1898), upon acquiring the total assets from Nowrojee,
that the "Star" Ferry Company as we know it today came into existence.
Despite the lack of detailed documentation, it seems appropriate that the new company took its name from the vessels
it acquired, which all bore the name "Star". Some of the original names like "Morning Star"
and "North Star" have indeed remained to the present day.
Plying across the heart of Victoria Harbour, the ferry service in its early days charged five cents per person.
The fare for first class today has just risen to HK$2.20, which offers the most economical way to get across the
harbour.
The history of the great "Star" Ferry has by no means been crisis-free. Its service was hit hard in September
1906 by an almost unexpected typhoon which took away two vessels and left the Kowloon pier beyond repair. The devastation
subsequently led the company to reconstruct the ferry wharf using a new design - being parallel instead of perpendicular
to the praya. The new layout allowed ferries to berth without loss of time and unnecessary wastage of coal.
In early 1920s , the "Star" Ferry was operating five vessels which were designed by the Company itself
and manufactured by Whampoa Dockyard Company. The vessels were double-decked ferries except those in the earliest
era. The early double deckers accommodated 286 passengers. In 1924, 1926 and 1928, five more vessels with 555 seats
entered the fleet subsequently.
Other than the vessel casualty occurred in April 1937, the "Star" Ferry has not experienced any serious
traffic accidents. Driving towards Hong Kong side, the former "Meridian Star" crashed into the former
"Night Star", then returned to the Hong Kong Ferry Pier and sank after passengers disembarked safely.
There were no injuries in the accident.
The Japanese occupation in 1941 marked the longest halt of the ferry service. Despite the intense shooting and
shelling, the company did manage to run the ferries up to 10am on the 12th of December 1941 under the control of
the British Army to evacuate refugees, troops and key personnel from Kowloon peninsula. The service was then suspended
for the following forty-four months.
Liberation came at a price. In 1946, the "Star" Ferry found itself bereaved of three vessels with two
others having to return to the dockyard. Subsequent to this, the company operated a joint inner harbour service
with the Hong Kong and Yaumati Ferry for several months.
The years of 1966 and 1967 presented even greater problems for the "Star" Ferry, with the company being
the first of the public services affected by Territory-wide disturbances which were accompanied by prevalent strikes
and bomb scares. The political turmoil resulted in the suspension of the company's Hunghom service, which was resumed
quite some time later.
The Cross Harbour Tunnel opened in 1972 resulted in significant decrease of ferry passengers. However, the "Star"
Ferry has maintained its important role to service across the harbour throughout the years.
To retain its stability even in the most inclement weather, the "Star" Ferry fleet has evolved from the
original four single-decked vessels, each propelled by a single coal-fired boiler, to twelve diesel-electric vessels.
In 1989, "Golden Star" and "World Star", each composed of 750 seats with air-condition facilities
on the upper deck were added to the fleet. At present, each member of the fleet has an air-conditioned cabin on
the upper deck.
Nowadays, despite of the continual decrease of passengers, competition of other transportations and the uncertain
government policy, the "Star" Ferry strikes to survive with dedicated service and step into the new century
with its loyal passengers.
 
 
 
New World First Ferry
New World First Ferry Services Limited (First Ferry) was established in November 1999. It is granted the right
to operate a total of eight outlying and inner harbour ferry routes with effect from 15 January 2000.
|
