HALIFAX – A fuel company has filed documents in U.S. District Court seeking missed payments from Nova Star Cruises, making it the second company to take the ill-fated company to court in two days.
Global News has obtained court documents, filed Sunday, showing World Fuel Services Incorporated has made a motion to intervene in the case between Portland Pilots Incorporated and Nova Star Cruises.
The controversial ferry, which touted low passenger numbers and received more than $40 million in provincial funding, has been seized by the U.S. Marshal. It is currently docked in Portland and under the watch of a custodian while the initial court matter is dealt with. Portland Pilots Incorporated said it is owed nearly $200,000 USD for unpaid pilotage services that it provided the vessel from August to October.
World Fuel Services said it provided fuel oil to Nova Star Cruises on three separate occasions but the company has not paid up. Invoices provided to the court show a delivery of fuel oil worth $156,156 on August 3, a delivery worth $152,193.80 on August 10 and a delivery worth $152,862.60 on August 17.
In the court documents, World Fuel Services said it is owed $461,212.40 for unpaid fuel in addition to $7,087.29 in interest and $23,060.62 in administrative fees for outstanding balances. It is seeking $491,360.31 USD from Nova Star Cruises.
“World Fuel Services’ interest in its maritime lien will be impaired, and likely lost, unless World Fuel Services is permitted to intervene,” the documents read.
“Despite requests for payments for the amounts due for the fuel provided, Nova Star Cruises, and the M/V NOVA STAR have failed to pay the amounts due and the M/V NOVA STAR is currently under arrest for amounts owed to another credit.”
No decision on whether the company will be allowed to intervene has been made yet.
Global News requested a comment from Nova Star Cruises on the World Fuel Services’ matter and received the same respond it did Sunday, when news broke that the vessel had been seized:
“Nova Star Cruises has paid most of its suppliers costs. We plan to pay all our suppliers as we have done over the past two seasons.”
When pressed for further comment about the nature of the complaint and whether the company had assets to pay off its creditors, no response was immediately available.
Last week, the Nova Scotia government announced it was ending its relationship with Nova Star Cruises and picked another company, Bay Ferries, to run the Yarmouth to Portland, Maine route.
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