Ferry ponders cuts to Digby-Saint John service

DIGBY, N.S. — Bay Ferries is considering cutting some of its runs between Digby, N.S. and Saint John, N.B. as a result of soaring fuel costs.

Bay Ferries president Mark MacDonald broke the news late Thursday at a transportation conference in Truro, N.S. He told reporters that cuts to service is one of a range options the company is exploring in its efforts to cope with rising fuel prices.

“With the price of fuel risen to where it has in recent months, this service is facing a real challenge,” he said.

That’s bad news for Nova Scotian fleets that depend on the service to get their goods — notably lumber and seafood — to market. Terry LeBlanc of Eastside Fisheries, a Yarmouth-based fleet that hauls lobster to the Boston/New England market, says alternative land transportation would increase costs and double time on the road for his drivers.

“All the fleets around here depend on that service,” he says. “Our customers want their seafood delivered fresh, and the ferry is how we get that done.”

Currently, the Princess of Acadia operates year round except for a few weeks in February when it’s in dry dock. Over the short term, MacDonald said the most cost-effective solution would be to keep the ferry at the wharf during the slow season, from January through March, and also in November.

Despite having implemented fuel surcharges earlier this year, it’s possible that further savings are necessary, MacDonald said. The ferry service consumes roughly 24,000 litres of fuel per day, and its fuel costs have increased by as much as 70 per cent in the past year.

Bay Ferries VP Don Cormier confirmed that the company is currently conducting an analysis of its operations and potential methods of dealing with fuel prices. He said that, while no announcements are imminent, the company should have a clear “sense of direction” within a month.

— By Eleanor Beaton