Agility Shipping, which pulled out of the port at the end of August, has leased the vessel it used for the service to new operators.

After the meeting in George Town, Bell Bay Industrial Group's Captain Ivan Colaco said he was ``very enthused'' about the prospect of running a service between Bell Bay and Melbourne.

George Town Council general manager Stephen Brown said the new operators had addressed the problems that prompted Agility to cease the service.

``I think everyone left the meeting feeling enthusiastic and confident that within a relatively short time, there's a very high chance of resuming a container shipping service,'' Mr Brown said. He said the proposed service, running twice a week, would meet the needs of industry in the area.

Another meeting is scheduled for early March to finalise the arrangements. Mr Brown said it was essential that a sea freight container service be reinstated from the Northern port.

Businesses like Bell Bay-based Rio Tinto and Ecka Granules have been forced to transport goods by road to be shipped out of Burnie or Devonport. ``In some cases, some companies are paying up to $300,000 a month in additional costs,'' Mr Brown said.

Without the resumption of services, the council feared for the future of companies forced to meet the ``unsustainable'' extra costs.

Mr Brown said the vessel Pacific Guardian is sailing under Tonga's flag, but would employ an Australian crew for the service.