BAR HARBOR — A Canadian company that's bringing ferry service back to Bar Harbor has set a start date of May 19 for restoration of service between Maine and Nova Scotia.

Service with a high-speed catamaran called The Cat will start at four days per week before increasing to seven days per week in late June, Bay Ferries said. Service will conclude in October.

“We are very excited to welcome you back aboard The CAT in 2022,” the company announced on its website.

There has been no ferry service between Maine and Nova Scotia since 2018, and previous efforts to restore service came up short.

Bay Ferries operated ferry service from Bar Harbor to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, for more than a decade before moving to Portland and ending service in 2009. Bay Ferries tried to return for the 2019 season but failed to get the ferry terminal renovated and approved in time. Then came the pandemic that scuttled service in 2020 and 2021.