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December 28, 2012

Portland officials: Restoring Nova Scotia ferry offers freight benefits too

Portland city officials say the potential re-establishment of regular ferry service between Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, and the city could add another commercial freight transportation option to the city’s waterfront in addition to the obvious tourism benefits.

Portland City Councilor Nicholas Mavodones Jr., chairman of the council’s Economic Development Committee and operations manager for Casco Bay’s ferry service, told The Portland Press Herald that if commercial freight hauling is included in a re-established ferry service it could save fuel and provide an alternative for tractor-trailers now traveling a 400-mile highway route between Portland and Yarmouth.

Nova Scotia’s government has set a Jan. 24 deadline for proposals to be submitted to its Department of Economic and Rural Development and Tourism for re-establishing ferry service between the Canadian province and Portland. Officials have said the government would subsidize as much as $21 million over seven years to help restore the ferry service, which ended three years ago when Bay Ferries Ltd. stopped operating the high-speed Cat ferry.

The newspaper reported that Portland officials are poised to answer questions from prospective service providers about the city's waterfront facilities.

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