PORTLAND, Maine — Nova Star Cruises was scheduled for its first voyage of the season Monday, with $8.1 million of a $13 million (Canadian) subsidy from the province of Nova Scotia in hand and no new financial support from Maine.
The province reported on its website Monday that it had disbursed another $2 million to Nova Star Cruises, bringing the total to $8.1 million leading up to the start of its second sailing season.
The ship received $28.5 million in subsidies in its first season, which had about half of the 100,000 passengers initially projected.
The latest disbursement comes after Maine Gov. Paul LePage’s administration declined to submit a bill that would have given the service a $5 million line of credit to operate through the off-season.
The Portland Press Herald first reported LePage had abandoned that effort, which sparked criticism in the province. The province’s transportation minister, Geoff MacLellan, told the Chronicle Herald that he would seek to meet with LePage after June 1 about possible support from Maine for the service.
MacLellan’s office and a spokeswoman for LePage did not respond to emails Monday morning seeking more information about the requested meeting.
Dennis Bailey, a spokesman for Nova Star Cruises, wrote in an email Monday that not getting those funds, intended for use during the off-season, was not a problem for the service.
“We are anticipating carrying 80,000 passengers this season and believe it’s going to be a very good year,” Bailey wrote.
That would be a 35 percent increase, or 21,000 more passengers, than the ship carried in its first season. Bailey said the projections are a goal that, based on current bookings, the service is “fairly confident” it will be able to hit.
About 1,400 people attended an open house for the ship Sunday, Bailey wrote, and the ship as of Monday had bookings for 85 motor coach tours. Last year, it had 18 motor coach tours at the start of the season.
The service was set to leave Portland at 8 p.m. Monday for Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. Officials from Portland and the province gathered Monday morning for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the first day of the season.