Steamship Authority photo:
FALMOUTH – Despite some challenges related to staffing, Steamship Authority officials say that they expect minimal adjustments to ferry schedules as the busy summer season begins.
A lack of licensed captains and pilots led to several missed trips, including 32 M/V Governor trips being cancelled since May 18th.
The following is the full statement from General Manager Robert Davis:
“Since mid-May, the Steamship Authority was experiencing a temporary labor shortage resulting from the unavailability of licensed deck officers (captains and pilots) and the longer than anticipated certification of 10 crew members by the U.S. Coast Guard. The situation had necessitated some off-peak schedule adjustments including cancellation of the final daily round-trip on the passenger-only high-speed ferry on the Hyannis/Nantucket route and occasional alterations to a freight vessel schedule on the Woods Hole/Martha’s Vineyard route.
Since Thursday May 18th till Monday June 12th, the M/V Governor, one of the freight vessels assigned to the Vineyard route, missed 32 trips out of its scheduled 356 trips due to staffing shortages. Trip cancellations during this period were minimized by crews volunteering for overtime assignments. During this same time period, the M/V Iyanough, the high-speed passenger-only ferry on the Nantucket route, missed 52 trips out of its scheduled 260 trips due to staffing shortages.
As of June 12th, the Steamship Authority, with the exception of the M/V Iyanough, has been operating the approved schedule and anticipates that additional cancellations for crewing reasons will be minimal going forward. The Steamship Authority has been working with the U.S. Coast Guard First District out of Boston as well as with Capt. Prindle of the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Southeast N.E. on certification of the additional crew members. In addition, U.S. Rep. William Keating and his staff have been following developments and assisting in the certification scheduling process.
The Steamship Authority fully anticipates that any disruptions to travelers to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket this summer will be minimal – if any – as its staffing needs are resolved. In the unlikely event that travelers with a vehicle reservation are affected by a schedule change, the Steamship Authority will notify them and arrange for passage on another vessel. As always, the Steamship Authority recommends that travelers frequently check its website for schedule updates and subscribe to its travel advisory text alerts. “
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