New ferry vessel to set out for Nova Scotia
The head of Nova Star Cruises said the ferry for its new service between Portland and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, will get underway from Singapore Friday, headed first for Nova Scotia.
The Portland Press Herald reported that the ship, expected to arrive in North America in mid-April, will then head to Portland for final inspections by the U.S. Coast Guard before the ferry service’s expected start date of May 1. The ship will be in transit as the final permitting details for the service are hashed out.
On April 7, the Portland City Council is expected to review a lease agreement at the city’s Ocean Gateway terminal, which the council’s housing and community development committee unanimously approved Wednesday. Mark Amundsen, the company’s president, told the newspaper Wednesday that the company has also filed permit applications required by the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission before the service can start booking reservations and selling tickets for the ferry service. The commission has a 60-day window to review the applications, though Amundsen said he expects the review will take only three or four days.
The lease agreement that now heads for city council approval would have Nova Star Cruises pay $19,200 per year to lease space at the deepwater terminal and also pay $225,000 for upgrades to accommodate new U.S. Customs and Border Control staff required for the 1,215-passenger ship’s international travelers. The newspaper reported the Portland Development Corp. will today consider giving the company a loan for those security upgrades.
The company is receiving $21 million over seven years from the province of Nova Scotia to subsidize the service.
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