SHELBURNE, N.S. – Truckers may soon have another option for crossing the Eastern Canada waterways, namely a year-round cargo ferry service between Portsmouth N.H. and Shelburne, N.S.

In fact, the service could be up and running within six months, suggested Ralph Belfiore, president of Scarlet Letter Cargo in Chelmsford, Mass.

“We would like to start as soon as possible, but there is still some work to do,” he said, with reference to negotiations currently underway to obtain one or more vessels from Europe.

The ship or ships being considered can carry up to 80 15-metre trailers, Belfiore said.

The ideal situation would be to purchase two ferries, Belfiore explained.

One would be berthed in Shelburne and the other in Portsmouth at night, and each would make the 14-hour trek each day.

If the decision is made to go with just one vessel, the service will operate every other day, said Belfiore.

Currently, trucks travelling into New England and destinations further south, can take the ferry from Digby, N.S. to Saint John, N.B., or drive through New Brunswick via Amherst and cross the border at Calais or Houlton., so the alternative route would be a welcome option for the trucking community.

The ferry ports that the service would use are already conveniently located on major highways and interstates, which will make the service readily accessible for drivers.

The two border communities are ideal locations for the service because there is only a two-foot difference in the tides making it an easy transition for the roll on-roll off procedure, said Shelburne Mayor, P.G. Comeau, also chairman of the Shelburne Port Authority.

Comeau added the ferry service also dovetails nicely with the objectives of the Port Authority to expand and offer more services.

Both Comeau and Belfiore said that although the ferry will carry primarily truck drivers and crews, the service will encourage tourism for their respective communities.

“Many of the drivers coming through here will be exposed to a region they wouldn’t normally be exposed to, and perhaps they would want to come back with their families to visit.

“After all, word of mouth is the best advertising you can get and you can’t possibly afford to buy it,” Comeau said.

He added the launch of the ferry service may also provide leverage to obtain funding from provincial and federal governments for better highways and infrastructure.

Initiatives to get trucks off the roads to help preserve highways and reduce congestion in the New England area are other motivating factors for the ferry service, Comeau said.

“I was quite receptive to the idea and anxious to discuss it further (with Belfiore). We have since maintained an active dialogue and he has engaged a local solicitor to draw up many of the legal documents while providing business to Shelburne,” he said.

“The next step is to deal with customs and after that we will meet again and go from there.”