Department Of Economic And Rural Development News

The Province of Nova Scotia has signed an agreement with Quest Navigation, Inc. and ST Marine Ltd. to re-establish the Yarmouth-Portland ferry service. The cruise ferry service will operate under the brand name Nova Star Cruises & provide daily round-trip service within 24 hours, from May 1 to November 2, 2014. As part of the agreement, the Province of Nova Scotia will provide Nova Star Cruises with up to CDN $21 million of financial support over seven years to assist the company with re-establishing the ferry service.

The Duke University Center on Globalization, Governance and Competitiveness (CGGC) recently completed a study on ocean technologies, including remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), for a consortium led by Nova Scotia’s Department of Economic and Rural Development and Tourism (ERDT). Excerpts from the report on the market and technology trends in ROVs and AUVs are provided in this article. Global ROV vehicle sales in 2010 totaled approximately $850 million.