PORTLAND (AP) — The owner of the docked Nova Star ferry that ran between Maine, and Nova Scotia, asked a federal court to release the vessel so it can be put to work elsewhere.
But a gambling company says the vessel should not be allowed to sail out of Portland harbor until the company is able to retrieve 70 slot machines still onboard.
The Portland Press Herald (http://bit.ly/1LBi33F ) reported the ferry’s owner, Singapore Technologies Marine, has been settling claims against the cruise line that operated the ferry.
Singapore Technologies said in court documents that it posted a $750,000 bond, an amount that exceeds the sum of pending claims, to allow the vessel to be released.
“The owners have other parties interested in chartering the vessel, but of course they cannot charter her while she is under arrest,” an attorney for Singapore Technologies, wrote in court papers.
The ferry between Portland, Maine, and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, sailed for more than two years before it was seized by the U.S. Marshals on Oct. 30 because of the outstanding debts of the cruise line that operated it. It is now docked in Portland.
There are 21 crew members aboard the ferry and the company says it costs $12,000 to $15,000 a day to maintain the ferry and pay the crew’s wages.
If the ship can be released, the company could charter it for $32,500 per day.
A hearing on the issue is set for Monday in federal court.
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