Cybercaptain: Radisson Diamond

2009 in Hong Kong

Credit: Asiacruiser

Radisson Diamond was delivered 30th April 1992 to Diamond Cruise, Helsinki, Finland. This ship was the first catamaran cruise ship of SWATH design. It's two hulls are submarine-like floating bodies that are under the water surface, creating the needed buoyancy to stay afloat. At the waterline, SWATH is designed with the least possible water-plane area so that external forces have a very low impact on its motion. It therefore has far superior seakeeping capabilities than conventional catamarans.

SWATH explained

SSC Radisson Diamond announcement brochure, 1991 - Diamond Cruises

Credit: Ebay

She was then on 28th May 1992 christened in Greenwich by Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and on July 5th her maiden voyage started. She has so far been the only of her kind ever built probably due to her design giving low guest capacity and slow speed compared to other cruise ships. On Radisson Diamond all cabins were at the shipside so everybody got a view and then the entertainment venues were midships in between the cabins.

Just for comparison the newest cruise ship today, Icon of the Seas, carries 7600 guests with 2350 crew and a GT of nearly 250.000, that's 12.5x larger volume but the GT/pax ratio is still larger on Radisson Diamond so guests had theoretically more space to enjoy on a smaller vessel which would equal more luxury.

In 1997 she registered for Radisson Seven Seas Cruises under Nassau, Bahamas flag. Then in June 2005 she was sold to Treasure Ocean Ltd, Nassau, Bahamas and renamed "Omar Star". Management was by Conning Shipping owned by the casino tycoon Stanley Ho. She departed Piraeus for Hong Kong on 9th June 2005 after having been refitted in Greece for casino operations. Then 17th Oct 2005 she was commissioned as a casino ship sailing out from Hong Kong.

In July 1999 she grounded in the Stockholm archipelago but was successfully refloated. The passenger ship Radisson Diamond with 533 people on board ran aground in Furusundsleden. After an engine room failure leading to blackout, the ship had lost its ability to steer. Port side anchor was let go but it dragged and subsequently the vessel grounded. The cruise ship then gave lines to another vessel and was towed free and was then able to move under her own power after a damage control inspection.

Credit: Swedish maritime authority

In Oct 2011 she was sold to China Cruises Co Ltd, Hong Kong, China (CCCL). Later in 9th March 2012 she was commissioned for CCCL and renamed "China Star". Wenzhou-based CCCL reportedly paid $45 million for the ship. Reports from China indicate businessman Huang Weijian is behind the deal, having invested $79 million in the venture.

After 5 years of operations she is sold 31st Oct 2017 to United Empire Investments Ltd, Shangdong, China and renamed "Saipan Star". By 17th June 2017 she was laid up in Zhujian Kou anchorage and 21st September 2022 in heavy weather the ship broke her moorings at anchorage and was blown aground near Haiwei village in Shandong, China. She had been waiting (for 5 years?) for her docking slot to start refit/ repairs at Shandong Xindong Heavy Industry Co Ltd yard but after the incident she was subsequently abandoned. Sounds a bit like a case of missing the 7 P's...

I had a look on Equasis and her last port state control was in Hong Kong under the Tokyo MOU, she had 3 deficiencies dated on 26/09/2016:

1. Life saving appliances - Lifeboats

2. Water/Weathertight conditions - Doors

3. Working and Living Conditions - Working Conditions, Electrical

Then on her previous PSC prior to that in 17/10/2014 she had 6 deficiencies:

1. Water/Weathertight conditions - Covers (hatchway, portable, tarpaulins, etc.)

2. Water/Weathertight conditions - Doors

3. Water/Weathertight conditions - Railing, gangway, walkway and means for safe passage

4. Working and Living Conditions - Living Conditions, Galley Handling Rooms

5. Working and Living Conditions - Working Conditions, Obstruction/slipping, etc.

Then before that everything seems to have been fine as there are no findings from 7 inspections dating back from 2005. There are some deficiencies from 2003 with US Coast Guard but that was with previous ownership and management. The history corroborates that she was laid up in China in 2017 after the sale as there has not been any further inspections under any MOU.

During her whole life she has primarily operated under the Bahamas flag and been managed by Conning shipping based in Hong Kong. Despite her innovative design and multiple refits, "Saipan Star" faced a tragic fate. If she had been laid up there cold for 5 years without any attendance I am not surprised her anchor chain broke, it was probably twisted to a sausage and corroded as well so it would not take much to break free when the typhoon hit.

I found some videos online of her being stranded and shared below some screenshots. Such a pity, what an undignified end for her. Time will tell if they'll ever remove her from the current resting place to be refitted or recycled. Realistically I think the time for refit is long past but she'd still make good nails for the future as well as maybe some super-rich Croesus will take her idea and rebuild the swankiest of super yachts there is, with a gross tonnage of 20000 there is a lot of space to fill up, compared to same length of yachts out there it is 3-4x more volume, not to mention the special sea keeping capabilities.

Her life in Hong Kong is interesting as I did work with Conning Shipping onboard m/v Columbus Caravelle in 1996 until they sold her to the Latsis family in Greece for converting her into to mega yacht Turama in 2002 and I followed on request of the new Owners. Conning Shipping were the ones who gave me my first command and promoted me from Chief Officer to Captain when I was 32 years old. I then sailed their charters all over SE Asia to Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, China, South Korea and Hong Kong of course.

The Scandinavian team onboard then probably gave them the initial idea for Radisson Diamond as the guests frequently were seasick whilst we exited Hong Kong waters and rolled like pigs in the swell outside of Kowloon Bay on our way south to shelter behind the Dangan Dao island, it was especially bad after typhoons. Maybe only in 2005 the price was right but by then I was long gone from their employ having been replaced by Omar II, a larger Danish build and cheaper Ukrainian crew. I saw our technical manager, Mr P.K. Yeung, some years later and he said the Owners were very happy of how she performed in rough seas. Would have been interesting crewing on her but even then Mr Yeung said I am too expensive, obviously they had gotten the taste of cheap Eastern European crew.

Some of my colleagues had worked on Radisson Diamond and I recall my 2/E once told me that it was quite a lot of up an down running in stairs between the pontoons as they both had an engine room so each day was good exercise and kept one fit. Unfortunately the pay was still single despite having double engine rooms. Another deckhand I worked with in Star Cruises reminisced about the floating marina they had to rig in the Caribbean that was very popular among the guests.

Radisson Diamond's open areas and floating marina

Credit: cruiseindustrynews

Having come across an article about Radisson Diamond's build period in the Japanese magazine "Funenokagaku" I copy below parts of the Google translated article by Yoshitatsu Fukawa:

"The first ship of Diamond Cruises, in which Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. has a stake. The first report on the construction of this ship is currently being constructed at Rauma Yards in Finland as the 310th ship at the same facility, and is scheduled for completion next spring. Here, we have obtained a rendering of the ship's wonderful interior upon completion, so we would like to introduce it to you.

The ship is a type called a SSC type cruise ship (Semi-submerged craft), which is said to be an extremely effective hull type for passenger ship operation.

First of all, due to its structure, the external forces it receives from waves are small, and the hull rocking in various waves is said to be about the same as that of a normal ship, which reduces the probability of getting seasick, which is a bottleneck in cruise travel.

Secondly, the twin-hull structure allows for a large deck area, and it is easy to design comfortable spaces such as passenger rooms and public rooms from the design stage. Another issue is that noise and vibration are always a major complaint from passengers, but with this model, the main engine is installed inside the submerged twin-hull, so it is isolated from the living quarters and is said to reduce these effects.

As you already know, Osaka O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. has a 5% stake in the operation of this ship, and one executive will be dispatched, albeit part-time. The ship will mainly be operated in the Caribbean, and the target market will be the luxury-oriented market in North America, with cruise fares set at around US$600 per day."

Funenokagaku magazine 1991

Credit: Yoshitatsu Fukawa

Section of Radisson Diamond being built

(Credit: Rauma Yards)

From the bow

(Credit: Rauma Yards)

From the bow

(Credit: Rauma Yards)

Mast ceremony

(Credit: Rauma Yards)

Floated

(Credit: Rauma Yards)

Deck plan of Radisson Diamond

(Credit: Rauma Yards)

Deck plan

Credit: foodsvcmgr (Shipsnostalgia)

Swath explained & hull midship section

Credit: foodsvcmgr (Shipsnostalgia)

As per Wikipedia her specs are as follows:

Name(s):

Radisson Diamond (1992–2005)
Omar Star (2005-2012)
China Star (2012–2017)
Saipan Star (2017)

Owner(s):

China Cruises
Conning Shipping (manager)

Port of registry:

1992-1997: Helsinki, Finland

1997-2012: Nassau, Bahamas

Builder: Finnyards (Rauma, Finland)

Launched: 20 June 1991
Maiden voyage: 5 July 1992
Call sign: C6OP6
IMO number: 9008407

General characteristics
Type: SWATH cruise ship
Tonnage: 20,295 GT
Length: 131.2 metres (430 ft)
Beam: 31.96 metres (104.9 ft)
Draught: 7.6 metres (25 ft)
Decks: 12
Installed power: 11340 kW. 2x Wärtsilä 8R32E, 2x Wärtsilä 6R32E engines.

Speed: 14.15 knots or 12.5 knots
Capacity: 354 passengers in 177 cabins or 172 cabins
Crew: 150 / 200