The ship's design is heavily based on that of, built by Aker Finnyards for SeaFrance in 2001.
Star was the first fast ferry capable of year-round service used on the Helsinki–Tallinn route.[1] The green external livery of the ship was according to Tallink promotional material "meant to reflect the environmentally friendly aspects of the ship's design".[2] 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.[3]
During the COVID-19 outbreak crisis the ship was assigned[4] to a government emergency service between Paldiski, Estonia, and Sassnitz, 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.
On 6 April 2023, Irish Ferries announced they were chartering Star from Tallink for 20 months, with possible extensions of 2+2 years, and an eventual possibility of purchase.[5] [6] The ship was renamed Oscar Wilde and was initially positioned on the Rosslare – Pembroke route, replacing the also chartered Greek ferry .[7]
On 31 January 2024 she was replaced on the route from Rosslare by, allowing Oscar Wilde to be deployed from 11 February 2024[8] on the company's two primary services from Dublin, sailing to Cherbourg, France on one weekend rotation and to Holyhead, 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.[9]