Court orders sale of casino cruise ship

A casino cruise ship that went from over 400 customers a day to less than a few dozen, facing bankruptcy and a wage dispute from its crew members, will be put up for auction after the High Court ordered a judicial sale.

According to SCMP, Justice Peter Ng Kar-fai on Monday ordered the New Imperial Star be evaluated by two appointed appraisers before being auctioned in order to return over HK$3.8 million in unpaid wages.

The cruise ship, owned by Arising International Holdings, like many casino cruise operations, has been hit with a drastic drop in Chinese mainland tourists due to the ongoing anti-corruption campaign and slowing economy.

The crew are expected to receive their wages from the proceeds of the auction within 60 days of its completion.