PORTLAND – The cruise ferry Scotia Prince, which operates during the summer in the Gulf of Maine, will provide winter service on a new route between Florida and Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula.

The Yucatan Express will sail the 36-hour, Tampa-to-Mexico route four times a week from November to May.

Katherine Harris, Florida’s secretary of state, made the announcement Thursday at the Gulf States conference in Orlando, Fla.

The Scotia Prince, which had remained docked during the winter, will continue to run daily round-trip service between Portland and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, between May and early October.