It's official: Nova Star Cruises will launch its ferry service between Yarmouth, Nova Scotia and Portland, Maine in May 2014

HALIFAX, NS, Nov. 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Visitors to Nova Scotia and New England will soon be able to travel on the new cruise ferry that will start service between Yarmouth, Nova Scotia and Portland, Maine in May 2014.

The Province of Nova Scotia today announced it has signed an agreement with Quest Navigation, Inc. and ST Marine Ltd. to re-establish the Yarmouth-Portland ferry service. The cruise ferry service will operate under the brand name Nova Star Cruises and provide daily round-trip service within 24 hours, from May 1 to November 2 next year.

"We are excited to have reached an agreement with the province, and are looking forward to offering passengers a unique and entertaining travel experience between Yarmouth and Portland," said Mark Amundsen, president and CEO, Quest Navigation. "Over the next few months we will continue to work full steam ahead with the province, our partners and the tourism industry to begin ferry service in May 2014."

As part of the agreement, the Province of Nova Scotia will provide Nova Star Cruises with up to CDN $21 million of financial support over seven years to assist the company with re-establishing the ferry service.

Nova Star Cruises estimates that more than 100,000 passengers will step aboard the brand new, 161-meter cruise ferry, Nova Star, in the first year of operation.

Nova Star will leave Portland each evening at 8 p.m. EST and arrive in Yarmouth at 7 a.m. AST the next morning. The ship will depart two hours later and arrive back in Portland at 5 p.m. local time.

"We would like to thank the Government of Nova Scotia, the Department of Economic and Rural Development and Tourism, the State of Maine, the Nova Scotia International Ferry Partnership and, in particular, the people of Nova Scotia for their confidence and support in ensuring the return of this vital service. We look forward to providing a world-class cruise ferry service for generations to come," said Steve Durrell, COO, Quest Navigation.

More details about Nova Star and the service, including fare structure, exclusive vacation packages, and other passenger and tourism operator information, will be released at informational sessions with company officials to be held in Nova Scotia and Portland over the coming weeks.

To stay informed about Nova Star Cruises visit www.novastarcruises.com and sign-up to receive updates, or follow @NovaStarCruises on Twitter.

SOURCE Nova Star Cruises