HALIFAX - Nova Scotia's economic development minister says a committee is still evaluating proposals from two companies to operate a ferry service linking Yarmouth and Maine.

Percy Paris says his department is close to releasing the assessment but he wouldn't give a date for its release.

Quest Navigation Inc. and Maritime Applied Physics Corp. have submitted proposals to operate a ferry service between Yarmouth and Portland, Maine.

Paris says the province could end up choosing one of the companies for further negotiations or could reject both depending on the findings of the evaluation.

He says the service wouldn't likely be re-established until sometime in 2014 if an operator is chosen.

The province has said it would provide up to $21 million over seven years for the service.

Paris says a federal commitment to upgrade the Yarmouth ferry terminal would be needed for the project to go ahead.

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