Bay Ferries Ltd., the Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island-based ferry company that operated CAT services from 2006 through 2009, said it will launch high-speed ferry service between Maine and Nova Scotia in mid-June.
It has leased the USNS Puerto Rico from the U.S. Navy for two years, and will rename the ferry “The Cat.” The high-speed ferry, which will take 5½ hours to traverse between Maine and Nova Scotia, can hold up to 282 vehicles and 866 passengers.
A preliminary schedule calls for the ferry to depart Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, at 8 a.m. daily. Return service from Portland would be at 2:30 p.m., putting the ferry back in Nova Scotia by 9 p.m., according to the Bangor Daily News.
“The ferry is an important service for Canadian tourism and a cultural connection to Maine,” said Portland Mayor Ethan Strimling in a statement about the upcoming reintroduction of ferry service.
As part of the new service offering, the government of Nova Scotia has agreed to invest $23.3 million (Canadian) into the service during its initial year, with funds going toward retrofitting the Navy catamaran, startup costs and a $10.2 million subsidy for marketing and operations during the first season.
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