Hamilton-N.Y. truck ferry talk continues

OSWEGO, N.Y. (May 12, 2004) — Twenty years after a truck ferry operated between Oswego and Oshawa, Ont., port officials are discussing plans to get a similar Lake Ontario truck-only ferry started again-this time, to Hamilton, Ont.

A dedicated cargo ferry across the lake would create a “water bridge” connecting the Port of Hamilton and the Port of Oswego, port and border officials from both Canada and the U.S. say.

Port of Hamilton officials are now working with a shipping company, Seaway Marine Transport of St. Catharines, Ont., to operate the ferry line. The company likely will team up with an American shipping company. Tentative plans call for one ferry travelling in each direction overnight every day of the year, carrying 90 to 110 units at a time. The 265 km trip is expected to take about 12 hours.

No passengers would be allowed on the ferries because of the added expense of providing services and immigration clearances for drivers, officials said.

Following up on an original story by the Hamilton Spectator in March, Today’s Trucking reported that the proposal of the “short-sea” shipping service, is appealing to port officials as a way to ease congestion near regions in and around the QEW, as well as reduce traffic tie-ups at the Buffalo, N.Y.-Fort Erie, Ont. border.

But some regional trucking carriers were initially a little more skeptical. Enno Jakobson, director of risk management for Challenger Motor Freight in Cambridge, Ont. said such a service would need to be evaluated on a case by case basis. “In he normal course of business it probably wouldn’t be a real big feature for us,” he told Today’s Trucking. “But there could be situations where I could see it being utilized as somewhat the same way we use rail to deal with capacity issues, depending on volumes and cost and things like that.”

HPA officials indicated that if the service proves to be a success, they would also attempt a second ferry service between Prescott, Ont., and Hamilton Harbour, via the St. Lawrence River, so that truckers could avoid traffic congestion on the 401 highway through Toronto.

But that idea too was met with reservation. “I’d hate to admit it quite frankly, but rail intermodal is still more conducive in partnering with trucking than what is perhaps a slower mode,” Paul Dean, vice-president and GM of Prescott, Ont.-based Kriska Transportation said at the time. “If the exercise is to deal with congestion or pollution issues on what is a relatively short-haul, I doubt this would be as viable of an alternative … but I say that without fully knowing the speed or all the details of the (ferry) ship.”

Meanwhile, the “fast ferry” that is to run between Toronto and Rochester will arrive in Toronto for inspection, maintenance and modification work. It will also undergo a port fitting at the dock.

The $59 million “Breeze” is primarily a passenger and auto carrier, but will accommodate some commercial vehicles as well. It was supposed to have taken its maiden voyage on May 1, has been delayed because of an accident docking at a pier in New York City last month.

— with files from the Associate Press