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July 17, 2014

Nova Star has another slow month

The Nova Star ferry that travels between Portland and Nova Scotia experienced its second slow month in a row, with June passenger rates only slight increasing over May.

The Portland Press Herald reported that the Nova Star had 112 passengers per trip on average in June, a slight increase over May’s 101 average, which was based on reports from when service began on May 15 to the end of the month.

Dennis Bailey, a spokesman for Nova Star, told the newspaper that passenger traffic has increased significantly in July, which will help the company reach its 400-passenger-per-trip ridership target. The ferry can carry up to 1,215 passengers.

The Press Herald reported that state officials are continuing to seek private financing for the Nova Star, with Maine Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner George Gervais saying they are looking at “any and all options.”

Nova Scotia’s government has floated the ferry service a $5 million advance in the meantime. The Canadian province has already given the Nova Star $19 million out of the $21 million in loans it has committed to distribute over a seven-year period.

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