CAT high-speed ferry between Maine and Nova Scotia to resume May 19
File PHOTO / Bay Ferries Ltd.
The CAT ferry service between Bar Harbor and Nova Scotia, Canada, is scheduled to resume service on May 19.
The CAT high-speed ferry between Bar Harbor and Nova Scotia, Canada, will resume service May 19 after two seasons that were canceled due to the pandemic, ferry officials say.
Bay Ferries Ltd., the Canadian company that operates the international service between Bar Harbor and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, has outlined its plans for the international high-speed ferry service with additional safety measures.
The season will start on May 19 and end on Oct. 10. Operating four days per week in the early season, service will increase to seven days per week from late June until the day after Labor Day. The fall will see departures six days per week from Sept. 8 onward.
An adult round-trip ticket for the 3.5-hour ferry run costs $210.
"This is another piece of the puzzle that helps with recovery. It's a great sign. It's a welcomed addition to have back," said Tony Cameron, CEO of the Maine Tourism Association.
Bay Ferries said it has made operational changes to provide a safe environment for both passengers and employees and to combat the spread of COVID-19. The safety measures include the mandatory use of face masks, physical distancing and passenger screening for health and travel history.
The company cautioned that as public health and regulatory requirements evolve, changes may be required to the operating schedule and other requirements related to public health.
According to the Canadian government's travel guidelines, fully vaccinated foreign nationals are now allowed to enter Canada for discretionary travel.
Starting in 1998, the CAT transported 1.7 million passengers from Maine to ports of Nova Scotia's southern shore. Originally traveling from Bar Harbor, the service added Portland to the route in 2006 and later traveled only from Portland until a terminal lease with the city expired in 2018.
Service from Bar Harbor was set to resume in 2019 after the town bought the terminal where the CAT docked, only to be held up by construction and permitting delays. While the province of Nova Scotia has a long-term contract for the CAT ferry service through the 2025 operating season, the 2020 and 2021 seasons were canceled because of the pandemic.
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