CORNER BROOK, Nfld. (Nov. 1, 2004) — Four years after
the plan was first made public, the possibility of a
New Brunswick to Newfoundland cargo ferry link moved
closer to reality after a deal was struck between the
Corner Brook Port Authority and the federal
government.

Last week, the parties announced the divestiture of
the port of Corner Brook from the Transport Canada to
the Corner Brook Port Corp., which is expected to take
place in early November.

Robert DeGrace, the new chairperson of the Belledune
Port Authority says the imminent transfer of the port
of Corner Brook is welcome news, and would likely
speed up the launch of the Belledune to Corner Brook
ferry service.

“As far as our end of it here, we are pretty well
prepared to go ahead with the initiative,” he told the
Corner Brook Western Star. “Everything was based on
the divestiture of Corner Brook, so this is certainly
good news.”

The original plan was to have the ferry up and running
not long after plans were first made public more than
four years ago, but a series of delays has kept
pushing the date back. The ferry could not begin
operations until the western Newfoundland port was
handed over to the not-for-profit corporation from
Transport Canada.

Earlier this year, officials even announced Rigel
Shipping Canada Inc. to operate the ferry, and hoped
it would begin by this summer. But the divestiture
process was taking much longer than anyone expected.

It’s likely too late in the season to commence the
ferry service this fall, the newspaper reported, but a
spring startup is now a much more real possibility.

— from Corner Brook Western Star