MV Nova Star

MV Nova Star in Portland, Maine
History
Name	Nova Star (2014-present) Norman Leader (2011-2014)
Owner	Nova Star Cruises (2014-present) ST Marine (2011-2014)
Operator	Nova Star Cruises (2014-present) ST Marine (2011-2014)
Port of registry	Bahamas
Route	Portland, ME - Yarmouth, NS
Ordered	2008
Builder	Singapore Technologies Shipbuilding, Singapore
Laid down	2008
Launched	8 October 2009
Christened	2011
Completed	2011
Acquired	2014
Maiden voyage	15 May 2014
In service	2014 - present
Identification	IMO number: 9462067 MMSI number: 311000199 Callsign: C6AZ4
Status	in service
General characteristics
Tonnage	27,444-gross tonnage (GT)
Displacement	4,145 t DWT
Length	161 m (528 ft)
Beam	26 m (85 ft)
Draught	6.05 m (19.8 ft)
Ramps	1 bow ramp; 1 stern ramp; 1 tiltable ramp connecting Deck 3 to Deck 5
Installed power	22,400 kW (30,000 hp)
Propulsion	2 Controllable Pitch Propellers
Speed	21 kn (24 mph; 39 km/h)
Capacity	1,215

MV Nova Star is a Ropax cruiseferry operating seasonally on the Gulf of Maine between Portland, Maine and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. Owned and operated by Nova Star Cruises since 2014, it began service on May 15, 2014.

Construction

The vessel was built by ST Marine in Singapore and christened as MV Norman Leader in 2011 for LD Lines. She was intended to operate in the English Channel, however, her contract was canceled before she could take her maiden voyage to France.

The vessel remained under the ownership of her builder, ST Marine, until being acquired by Nova Star Cruises in 2014 and renamed MV Nova Star for the Gulf of Maine service.

Vessel details

The ship features a large variety of cruise-ship like features, including three restaurants and three bars, a casino gaming facility, a fitness centre and a duty-free retail shop. The ship also includes a children play area, live on-board entertainment, a spa, an art gallery, a smoking lounge (located near the bow), and a movie theatre.

The vessel has 163 cabins, consisting of variations of suites, ocean view cabins, interior cabins, and wheelchair-accessible cabins. There are also 254 individually assigned (reserved) recliner seats to use as a place for rest or sleeping. The vessel has capacity for 1,215 passengers and also contains 11 kennels for dogs and 12 kennels for cats. Pets are only allowed to be carried onboard in these kennels and cannot remain onboard vehicles. Service animals are allowed on all passenger decks and in passenger cabins.

The vessel can carry 336 car-equivalents and/or 38 commercial vehicles (semi-trailer rigs or buses) and commensurately fewer cars.

Route history

The history of ferry services between Maine and Nova Scotia dates to 1956 when the Canadian National Railways began operating the MV Bluenose service between Bar Harbor, Maine and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. CNR transferred this service in 1977 to its subsidiary CN Marine and that company supplemented the Yarmouth - Bar Harbor service with a second route from Yarmouth to Portland between 1978-1982 using the MV Marine Evangeline (ex-MV Duke of Yorkshire). In 1982 CN Marine canceled the Yarmouth - Portland service and also replaced the original MV Bluenose with Stena Jutlandica. Stena Jutlandica was renamed MV Bluenose and continued the service of her predecessor from Yarmouth to Bar Harbor starting in 1983. In 1986 CN Marine was renamed Marine Atlantic and this company continued to operate the service from Yarmouth to Bar Harbor until 1997.

In 1970 the Swedish ferry company Lion Ferry expanded to North America and began operating between Yarmouth and Portland using the MS Prince of Fundy (1970–76), followed by the MS Bolero (1976–78) and the MS Caribe (1978–82). In 1982, Lion Ferry was sold to Baron Stig Leuhusen who established Prince of Fundy Cruises, which operated MS Scotia Prince (ex MS Stena Olympica - a sister ship to ex MS Stena Jutlandica being operated by CN Marine as MV Bluenose).

In 2000, Prince of Fundy Cruises was sold and renamed Scotia Prince Cruises. In 2004 Scotia Prince Cruises discovered toxic mold in the International Marine Terminal in Portland; its lease was not renewed by the terminal owner, the City of Portland, partially due to the company's financial difficulties. Scotia Prince Cruises canceled the 2005 season and subsequently closed operations completely and sold the MS Scotia Prince.

In 1997, Marine Atlantic sold MV Bluenose to Bay Ferries and transferred the operating license for the route between Yarmouth and Bar Harbor to that company. Bay Ferries operated MV Bluenose for one season and then sold the vessel, replacing it with the HSC INCAT 046 starting in the 1998 season. This vessel was replaced by HSC INCAT 059 in the 2002 season. After Scotia Prince Cruises ended service to Portland in 2005, the City of Portland constructed a replacement ferry terminal named the Ocean Gateway International Marine Passenger Terminal and courted Bay Ferries to expand service to Portland. HSC INCAT 059 began service from Yarmouth to Portland starting in the 2006 season, in addition to the existing service to Bar Harbor. That year saw Bay Ferries start to receive an operating subsidy from the Government of Nova Scotia to off-set rising fuel costs and declining passenger volumes; this subsidy was continued for the 2007, 2008 and 2009 seasons. After the 2009 season finished, the Government of Nova Scotia canceled the subsidy and Bay Ferries ended all ferry operations in the Gulf of Maine.

In 2013 the Government of Nova Scotia issued a request for proposal to revive a Yarmouth - Portland ferry service, offering the successful proponent a $21m CAD subsidy over seven years. The bid from Nova Star Cruises was selected in fall 2013.