HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — Nova Scotia officials say they plan to make a decision this week on whether to keep the Nova Star ferry or switch to another company for next summer.

Nova Scotia’s transportation minister, Geoff MacLellan, says his department is examining books and revenues from the company before making a decision.

The province subsidizes the ferry service from Portland, Maine, to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, and officials have been disappointed in the number of passengers. MacLellan says three other companies are interested in running the service.

Dennis Bailey, spokesman for Nova Star Cruises, says that the number of U.S. passengers is up 30 percent because of the stronger U.S. dollar, while the number of Canadian passengers has dropped by roughly the same amount. The company had a goal of transporting 80,000 passengers this season.


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