Officials with the Hamilton Oshawa Port Authority and Niagara County share details about the proposed ferry service.
SOMERSET, N.Y. — As 2 On Your Side first reported, the Hamilton Oshawa Port Authority (HOPA) and Beowulf Electricity and Data are exploring the possibility of developing the old coal-fired power plant in Somerset into an international port.
The port would establish a ferry service between Oshawa and Somerset.
Some have asked, “Why Somerset?”
“One is because it’s outside of the locks, it can actually be a year round service,” said Ian Hamilton, President and CEO of HOPA. “It’s only about 37 miles from port to port.”
Hamilton says that the Welland Canal is only operational for about 10 months out of the year because of winter weather conditions.
Another reason the port makes sense for HOPA is growing traffic concerns through the Greater Toronto area and the border crossings.
“The increased border congestion problems challenges with with driver shortages, all of these things suggested we can …