MS ''James Joyce'' is a fast

Ro-Pax Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, Trailer (vehicle), trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their ...

cruiseferry A cruiseferry is a ship that combines the features of a cruise ship and a Ro-Pax ferry. Many passengers travel with the ships for the cruise experience, staying only a few hours at the destination port or not leaving the ship at all, while ot ...

operated by

Irish Ferries Irish Ferries is an Irish ferry and transport company that operates passenger and freight services on routes between Ireland, Britain and Continental Europe, including Dublin Port–Holyhead; Rosslare Europort to Pembroke, Pembrokeshire, Pembr ...

; on the

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

Holyhead Holyhead (; , "Cybi's fort") is a historic port town, and is the list of Anglesey towns by population, largest town and a Community (Wales), community in the county of Isle of Anglesey, Wales. Holyhead is on Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island ...

route. She was built as ''Star'' at

Aker Finnyards STX Finland Oy, formerly Aker Yards Oy, was a Finnish shipbuilding company operating three shipyards in Finland, in Turku, Helsinki and Rauma, employing some 2,500 people. It was part of STX Europe, a group of international shipbuilding compani ...

Helsinki Shipyard,

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

for

Tallink Tallink () is an Estonian shipping company operating Baltic Sea cruiseferries and ropax ships from Estonia to Finland, Estonia to Sweden and Finland to Sweden. It is the largest passenger and cargo shipping company in the Baltic Sea region. It ...

and entered service on their

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

Tallinn Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...

service on 12 April 2007. She was sold to

Irish Continental Group Irish Continental Group plc is an Irish shipping and transport group. Operating roll on/roll off passenger, freight and container freight services on routes between Ireland, the United Kingdom and Continental Europe. Irish Continental Group a ...

in May 2025 after a brief 20-month charter with

between 2023 and 2025.

Specifications

The ship's design is heavily based on that of , built by

for

SeaFrance SeaFrance was a ferry company based in France, wholly owned by the French railways, SNCF, which operated ferry services between Calais, France, and Dover, England. The company employed a total of 1,850 staff, including 1,300 seagoing personnel, ...

in 2001.

Construction and career

Tallink

''Star'' was the first fast

ferry A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...

capable of year-round service used on the

–

route. The green external

livery A livery is an identifying design, such as a uniform, ornament, symbol, or insignia that designates ownership or affiliation, often found on an individual or vehicle. Livery often includes elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or ...

of the ship was according to Tallink promotional material "meant to reflect the environmentally friendly aspects of the ship's design". ''Star'' operated three daily departures from both Helsinki and Tallinn, each crossing taking two hours. In Tallink marketing, ''Star'' was often 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. During the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

outbreak crisis the ship was assigned to a government emergency service between

Paldiski Paldiski is a seaside Populated places in Estonia, town in northwestern Estonia, located on the Pakri Peninsula and adjacent Pakri Islands, Pakri islands in the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea. It is the administrative centre of the Lääne- ...

, Estonia, and

Sassnitz Sassnitz (, before 1993 in ) is a town on the Jasmund peninsula, Rügen Island, in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. The population as of 2012 was 9,498. Sassnitz is a well-known seaside resort and port town, and is a gateway to th ...

, Germany to ease the transportation of goods between Estonia and Central Europe. Poland had closed its borders and required health declarations from truck drivers which introduced long truck queues on its borders and slowed transportation.

Irish Ferries

On 6 April 2023,

announced they were chartering ''Star'' from Tallink for 20 months, with possible extensions of 2+2 years, and an eventual possibility of purchase. The ship was renamed ''Oscar Wilde'' and was initially positioned on the Rosslare – Pembroke route, replacing the also chartered Greek ferry . On 31 January 2024 she was replaced on the route from Rosslare by , allowing ''Oscar Wilde'' to be deployed from 11 February 2024 on the company's two primary services from

, sailing to

Cherbourg Cherbourg is a former Communes of France, commune and Subprefectures in France, subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French departments of France, department of Manche. It was merged into the com ...

, France on one weekend rotation and to

, Wales for the rest of the week. After new chartered ships entered service with Irish Ferries, ''Oscar Wilde'' was renamed ''James Joyce'' in May 2024. The initial 20-month charter ended in January 2025 with the first of the possible extensions not exercised. The ship sailed to Damen repair shipyard

Dunkerque Dunkirk ( ; ; ; Picard language, Picard: ''Dunkèke''; ; or ) is a major port city in the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France. It lies from the Belgium, Belgian border. It has the third-larg ...

before being handed back to Tallink and being renamed MS ''Star''.

Tallink

On 24 January 2025, Tallink announced that the vessel would enter service on 9 February 2025 on the

Kapellskär Kapellskär () is a port about north of Stockholm, in Sweden. It is located by the Baltic Sea, in Norrtälje Municipality, Stockholm County. Services The port was served by frequent passenger ferry services to Mariehamn, Åland, Finland, operate ...

route. The press released shows ''Star'' in a different iteration of the Tallink livery to her original period operating on the Tallinn to Helsinki route.

Irish Ferries

On 2 April 2025, Irish Continental Group released a joint statement with Tallink stating they reached a deal to purchase ''Star I''. She will be redeployed on the Dublin - Holyhead route, initially replacing ''Isle of Inisheer'' on the route during May 2025.https://www.irishferries.com/uk-en/news-listing/irish-ferries-confirms-addition-of-new-cruise-ferry-james-joyce-to-its-fleet/

References

External links

Tallink official website for ''Star''
*

Star at marinetraffic.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Star I 2006 ships Cruiseferries Ferries of Estonia Ships built in Helsinki Ferries of the Republic of Ireland