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Nova Star (cruiseferry)

MV Nova Star.jpg
MV Nova Star in Portland, Maine
History
Name:
  • Nova Star (2014-present)
  • Norman Leader (2011-2014)
Owner: ST Marine (2011-present)
Operator:
Port of registry: Nassau, Bahamas
Route: Algeciras, Spain-Tangier, Morocco
Ordered: 2008
Builder: Singapore Technologies Shipbuilding, Singapore
Laid down: 2008
Launched: 8 October 2009
Christened: 2011
Completed: 2011
Acquired: 2014
Maiden voyage: 15 May 2014
In service: 2014 - 2015
Identification:
General characteristics
Tonnage: 27,444-gross tonnage (GT)
Displacement: 4,145 t DWT
Length: 161 m (528 ft)
Beam: 26 m (85 ft)
Draught: 6.05 m (19.8 ft)
Ramps: 1 bow ramp; 1 stern ramp; 1 tiltable ramp connecting Deck 3 to Deck 5
Installed power: 22,400 kW (30,000 hp)
Propulsion: 2 Controllable Pitch Propellers
Speed: 21.4 kn (24.6 mph; 39.6 km/h)
Capacity: 1,215

MV Nova Star is a Ropax cruiseferry currently on charter to Inter Shipping operating between Algeciras, Spain and Tangier, Morocco. Owned by ST Marine, she was previously operated seasonally between Portland, Maine and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia by Nova Star Cruises for two seasons, but following the decision not to renew Nova Star Cruises license to operate the service, the service was subsequently closed and changed to Bay Ferries.

Following her arrival in Algeciras in February 2016, it was made apparent that Nova Star's bow ramp was too short to operate the service therefore delaying her entry into service.

The vessel was built by ST Marine in Singapore for LD Lines, which signed a $179 million contract for the vessel in 2007. She was intended to operate in the English Channel, but her contract was canceled in 2011 before she could take her maiden voyage to France.

The vessel remained under the ownership of her builder, ST Marine, until being acquired by Nova Star Cruises in 2014 and renamed MV Nova Star for the Gulf of Maine service.

The ship features a large variety of cruise-ship like features, including two restaurants and three bars, a casino gaming facility,a duty-free retail shop. The ship also includes a children play area, live on-board entertainment, a spa and art gallery.

The vessel has 163 cabins and a capacity of 1,215 passengers. She can carry 336 car-equivalents and/or 38 commercial vehicles (semi-trailer rigs or buses) and commensurately fewer cars.


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