Nova Star ferry’s passenger count for August was down 22 percent from the same month last year.

The operator, Nova Star Cruises, reported on its website Tuesday that 15,974 passengers rode the ferry between Portland and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, in August. During its inaugural season last year, 20,513 people traveled on the ferry in August.

So far this year, the ferry has carried 37,800 passengers, a 6 percent decrease from the 40,347 the ferry had carried at this point last year.

The company said the number of Canadians riding the ferry is down 40 percent, a “disappointing” result the company attributed to the drop in the buying power of the Canadian dollar, which on Tuesday was trading at 75 cents in U.S. currency.

Still, despite the favorable exchange rate for Americans, the number of U.S. passengers in August was 13,093, down nearly 11 percent from the 14,665 who rode the ferry in August last year.

In July, the ferry carried an average of 215 passengers per trip, down from 217 per trip average in July 2014.

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In August, the ferry carried an average of 258 passengers per trip, down from the 331 per trip average in August 2014.

The vessel has a capacity of 1,215 passengers, but Nova Star Cruises said a more realistic “operating capacity” is 750 passengers.

The Nova Scotia government, which is heavily subsidizing the service, is expected to decide soon whether to award the contract for the 2016 season to Nova Star Cruises or to seek another ferry operator. Three other companies have shown interest in taking over the run next year.

The province spent $28.5 million (Canadian) for the service in its inaugural season last year. Included was a $21 million loan that was intended to last seven years. This year, the government limited its subsidy to $13 million, equal to nearly $10 million (U.S.) at current exchange rates.

So far, the government has released $9.6 million to Nova Star Cruises.

Mark Amundsen, CEO of Nova Star Cruises, is scheduled to appear Thursday before the Nova Scotia Legislature’s Economic Development Committee.

 


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