Singapore Technologies Marine (ST Marine) has clarified that a deal that will see its 27,700-gt Nova Star (built 2014) operate for Polferries is a bareboat charter, not a sale, as was widely reported last week.
An ST Marine spokesperson told TradeWinds the Nova Star had been fixed to Poland's largest ferry operator for 24 months. The charter began on 9 November.
Last week, Polferries said it would operate the ship in the Baltic on a service between Gdansk in Poland and Nynashamn in Sweden, beginning in late March.
ST Marine has been stuck with the Nova Star since it was rejected by Louis Dreyfus of France, which cancelled its $140m contract in March 2011.
The ship later went on charter to Nova Star Cruises of Canada on a run to the US, but that ended after two seasons when the company filed for bankruptcy.
Last year, it was chartered to Moroccan ferry operator Inter Shipping, which has replaced it with the 19,400-gt Vastervik (built 1986), bought from Greece.
