PORTLAND, Maine — The high-speed ferry known as The Cat slipped into Portland Harbor overnight Monday in advance of its daily round trips to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, starting June 15.
Bay Ferries Ltd., which will operate the ship, said The Cat received extensive renovations and upgrades in Charleston, South Carolina before its successful sea trials began last week.
The Cat is 349 feet long, has twin hulls and can carry as many as 866 passengers.
The vessel replaces the Nova Star, a ferry that operated the Portland-to-Nova Scotia run for two seasons, ending last year after losing a subsidy from the Province of Nova Scotia. The Nova Star and Bay Ferries bid on a deal with the province, along with three other companies.
The Cat, owned by the Navy and called the USNS Puerto Rico, is smaller and faster than the Nova Star ferry, which had fallen behind its projected passenger counts in both seasons and ran through its subsidy from the province faster than expected.
The Cat plans trip will take about 5.5 hours to make the crossing from Portland to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. It will leave Yarmouth daily at 8:30 a.m. and depart Portland at 2:30 p.m., at an average one-way price of $107 for adults.
— Business reporter Darren Fishell and CBS 13 contributed to this report
