The Steamship Authority (SSA) members will hold their regular monthly business meeting at 9:30 am, Tuesday, Oct. 20, at the Oak Bluffs library meeting room. The agenda includes an update on the construction progress of the new passenger/freight boat Woods Hole, which is set to replace the Sankaty, and separate requests from fast ferry operators SeaStreak and Hy-Line.
SeaStreak, which now operates seasonal, daily fast ferry service from New Bedford to Oak Bluffs, has applied to the SSA for a license to provide fast ferry service to Nantucket.
The company, which also provides weekend fast ferry service from New York City, would operate directly between New Bedford and Nantucket, or under a second option, would make a quick stop in Oak Bluffs before continuing across Nantucket Sound. The direct trip is scheduled to take just under two hours.
Hy-LIne, which now provides seasonal high speed service between Hyannis and Nantucket, as well as service between Hyannis and Oak Bluffs and Oak Bluffs and Nantucket, wants to retire its traditional ferry, Brant Point, on the Vineyard route.
The company wants to add a higher-capacity ferry to the Vineyard-Hyannis run, and is also proposing to begin high speed service between Oak Bluffs and Nantucket. The new ferry would have a passenger capacity of between 300 and 350 passengers compared with the current 149 passenger capacity of the Lady Martha, which now operates on the Hyannis to Vineyard run. Hy-Line has opposed the SeaStreak Nantucket proposal.
Martha’s Vineyard SSA member Marc Hanover appeared before Oak Bluffs selectmen Tuesday night to provide an update. He said the new SSA freight vessel Woods Hole is expected to begin service in May to Oak Bluffs, and would carry a few more vehicles and far more passengers than the Sankaty.
“That’s a big plus for the town,” he said.
Mr. Hanover said Hy-Line’s plan to increase passenger capacity would also be a benefit and bring more day-trippers.
Referring to the traditional service on the Hyannis run, he said, “At one time this route carried about 30,000 a day, now it carries about 6,000 a day.”
Mr. Hanover said, “Hy-Line is looking to make a major investment here, adding another high-speed catamaran, and they want to use the Lady Martha to go inter-Island.”
Mr. Hanover told selectmen SSA ridership is up about 3 percent this year. Responding to a complaint about increased traffic this summer, Mr. Hanover said Island growth and Islanders bear some responsibility. “Stop building houses,” he said. “I came here myself with one car; I have three kids now, we have five cars. We are the problem.”
