BAR HARBOR, Maine — The CAT ferry, which brings passengers between Bar Harbor, Maine, and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, saw its ridership increase 10% over last year.
The news was announced Friday.
“The Nova Scotia-Maine ferry service recorded the second highest passenger numbers of the last five years,” the operator said in a press release.
The last trip of the 2026 season was Wednesday.
“A total of 44,032 passengers and 18,124 vehicles used The CAT ferry between Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, and Bar Harbor, Maine,” the release stated.
In 2025, the cat had carried 39,745 passengers and 16,233 vehicles.
“We had a significant bounce back year despite many issues beyond our control as a company,” President and Chief Executive Officer of Bay Ferries Limited Mark Wilson said. “The vessel and our teams performed well on all accounts and we were able to grow the service bringing tens of thousands of high value visitors into Nova Scotia.”
Bay Ferries Limited operates the Maine-Nova Scotia ferry service, which leases land from the Town of Bar Harbor for the ferry’s operations.
“Approximately 85% of the total passengers using the service were Americans with Canadians making up the remaining 15%,” Wilson said. “Americans using the service grew year over year making up the majority of the growth.”
This season The CAT ferried 120 round trips. Twelve round trips had to be canceled because of weather.
It costs approximately $350,000 to the Province of Nova Scotia for pilot service into Bar Harbor’s waters during the season. The pilots execute a 180-degree turn when docking it at the Bay Ferries Terminal at the town-owned site on Route 3. Pilots move it through a roughly 600-foot-wide channel between lobster buoys and gear and back to its port, which is farther than where cruise ships dock.
The CAT is 8,127 tons with a 12-foot draft and it can have more than 800 people onboard.
In the press release, President of the Tourism Industry Association of Nova Scotia Darlene Grant Fiander stressed the CAT’s importance to bringing people to the province.
“It is great to see growth over last year which is very positive considering the geo-political climate,” Grant Fiander said. “This continues to be one of several very important tourist conduits into our province and our tourism operators depend on predictability and stability as they work hard to attract visitors to Nova Scotia.”
The ferry’s fees do not cover its $21 million operating costs, and it has been subsidized by the Canadian government.
“We are excited to welcome passengers on The CAT next year and look forward to continuing to grow this important service to the maximum benefit of Nova Scotians,” Wilson said.
The ferry did not run during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. It had existed in Bar Harbor from 1956 through 2009, stopping when Nova Scotia ended subsidies. From 2014 through 2018, it ran from Portland to Nova Scotia instead, returning to Bar Harbor at a fully operational status in 2022.
The 2027 schedule is expected to be released in the next two weeks.
The company has a contract with the Canadian province. That contract runs through mid October. An economic analysis has shown the ferry’s impact on Nova Scotia is positive.
This story was originally published by The Bar Harbor Story. To receive regular coverage from the Bar Harbor Story, sign up for a free subscription here.