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November 9, 2017

Bay Ferries may resume Bar Harbor service

Bay Ferries Ltd., former operator of ferry service from Bar Harbor to Nova Scotia, has notified the town of Bar Harbor of its interest in resuming that service.

The Ellsworth American reported the notification came at the 11th hour during the town’s consideration of other potential uses of the former Bluenose and Cat ferry terminal.

Bay Ferries CEO Mark McDonald wrote in an email to the town that among the company’s considerations is the cost of upgrading the facility. U.S. Customs and Border Protection, he wrote, has “modern, state-of-the-art requirements for international facilities like this.”

A committee of the Bar Harbor Town Council has been discussing possible uses for the former Bay Ferries Ltd. terminal that include a cruise ship pier, marina, museum or commercial fishing dock. In August, the Mount Desert Islander reported that the Maine Department of Transportation has offered to sell the property to Bar Harbor. In June, Bar Harbor voters approved a zoning change that cleared the way for the town to buy the former ferry terminal and redevelop it for passenger cruise traffic. 

Bay Ferries Ltd., a Prince Edward Island-based company, stopped running its seasonal high-speed ferry, called The Cat, between Maine and Nova Scotia in 2010. 

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