The high-speed ferry that’ll travel between Portland, Maine, and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, this summer has successfully completed sea trials.
Bay Ferries Limited says the ship, dubbed The Cat, has arrived in Portland after extensive renovations and upgrades in Charleston, South Carolina. The company says the successful sea trials were completed this past week.
The Cat is 349 feet long and can carry as many as 866 passengers.
The vessel, which is expected to enter service on June 15, will replace the Nova Star, a ferry that had operated the Portland-Nova Scotia run since 2014. It will operate a twin-hulled vessel under a lease agreement with its owner, the U.S. Navy.
The ship, previously the USNS Puerto Rico, is smaller and faster than the Nova Star ferry, which had operated on the same route for two financially disastrous seasons.