Nova Star Cruises reports increase in June passengers, 10% to goal
Company says it had 8,530 passengers last month, compared to 6,768 in June 2014
The company managing the Nova Star ferry between Yarmouth and Portland says it exceeded passenger targets in June and is 10 per cent of the way toward meeting its goal for the season.
On Thursday, Nova Star Cruises released its first monthly business report of the season, which states passenger sales increased 26 per cent in June 2015 compared to June 2014.
The company reports 8,530 passengers travelled on board the Nova Star last month, compared to 6,768 in June 2014.
Mark Amundsen, the president and CEO of Nova Star Cruises, says the company has different passenger targets depending on the month. The goal for June was 8,000 passengers, so Amundsen says the figures indicate the company is on track to meet its goal of 80,000 passengers for the season.
"The trend is in the right direction for us," he said Thursday.
In June, the Nova Star had multiple voyages where it carried more than 400 passengers, as well as crossings where the number of passengers was closer to 100, says Amundsen.
The vessel technically has a capacity of 1,215 passengers, but Amundsen says the vessel's actual capacity is more like 700 passengers in order to have enough space for accommodations and the passengers' vehicles.
"The 700 mark is where our goal is to be," he said.
Nova Star Cruises is currently operating on a one-year contract with the government. Transportation Minister Geoff MacLellan said if the company doesn't deliver the numbers, the government will seek another company to operate a ferry service.
In February, the provincial government gave the ferry operator $13 million to help with this year's ferry operations. By the end of April, Nova Star Cruises had used $6.1 million of the subsidy.
The company says it did not withdraw any more money from the fund in June.
During the ferry's 2014 season, 59,000 passengers sailed on the Nova Star.
The company says it will report on the local economic benefits of the ferry's operations by mid-July.
In 2014, taxpayers spent $28.5 million on the Nova Star, including burning through a $21-million, seven-year subsidy during the first season.