MV ''Nova Star'' is a

Ropax Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels or usi ...

cruiseferry, currently operating between Poland and Scandinavia under the ownership of Polferries.

Construction and service history

The vessel was built by ST Marine in

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

for LD Lines, which signed a $179 million contract for the vessel in 2007. She was intended to operate in the

English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...

, but her contract was canceled in 2011 before she could take her maiden voyage to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. Initially named ''Norman Leader'', 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 The Gulf of Maine is a large gulf of the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of North America. It is bounded by Cape Cod at the eastern tip of Massachusetts in the southwest and by Cape Sable Island at the southern tip of Nova Scotia in the northea ...

service. She ran seasonal operations between Portland,

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

, and Yarmouth,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

, under Nova Star Cruises for two seasons. Following the decision not to renew Nova Star Cruises' license to operate the service at the end of the 2015 season, Nova Star Cruises subsequently closed and Gulf of Maine operations were taken over by Bay Ferries, which has previously operated ferries in the region prior to Nova Star Cruises. Once her Gulf of Maine service ended, ''Nova Star'' was purchased by the Moroccan company Inter Shipping. Following her arrival in

Algeciras Algeciras () is a city and a municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Cádiz, Andalusia. Located in the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula, near the Strait of Gibraltar, it is the largest city on the Bay of G ...

in February 2016, it was made apparent that ''Nova Stars bow ramp was too short to operate the service, therefore delaying her entry into service. She eventually began operating between

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and

Tangier Tangier ( ; , , ) is a city in northwestern Morocco, on the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The city is the capital city, capital of the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, as well as the Tangier-Assilah Prefecture of Moroc ...

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

under the ownership and operation of Inter Shipping. She ran this route until 2018, when she was then purchased by Polferries, who currently operate her on the route between

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

and

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

Vessel details

''Nova Star'' is an average-sized cruiseferry. Its dimensions are length by width. The vessel is capable of a top speed of , and weighs roughly 27,450 GT. The ship features a large variety of cruise-ship like features, including two restaurants, three bars, a casino gaming facility, and 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.

References

External links

Nova Star Cruises
(official website) {{DEFAULTSORT:Nova Star Cruiseferries Ferries of Maine Ferries of Nova Scotia 2009 ships Ships built in Singapore