The members of the Steamship Authority met Tuesday in Falmouth and approved an expansion of high-speed ferry service on inter-Island routes, and agreed to allow new service between New Bedford and Nantucket.
The members approved a request by Seastreak to provide two daily round-trips on Mondays through Thursdays, and three daily round-trips on Fridays through Sundays, on a summer seasonal basis directly between New Bedford and Nantucket, according to a management meeting summary. It will continue to provide weekend ferry service between New York and Oak Bluffs and Nantucket.
The members also approved Hy-Line’s request to retire its traditional ferry, the Brant Point (with a capacity of 520 passengers), which provides one daily round-trip on a summer seasonal basis between Hyannis and Oak Bluffs, and replace it with a new high-speed ferry (with a capacity of between 300 and 350 passengers) that will provide up to five daily trips.
Hy-Line will use its high-speed passenger ferry, the Lady Martha (with a capacity of 149 passengers), to provide up to three daily round-trips between Oak Bluffs and Nantucket, in addition to providing one morning daily trip from Hyannis to Oak Bluffs and an evening daily trip from Oak Bluffs to Hyannis.
In other business Tuesday, the shipbuilders constructing the SSA’s newest vessel, Woods Hole, expected to be completed this spring, have requested a 70-day extension of the vessel’s delivery date. The SSA is evaluating that request.
The board also hiked the price of Woods Hole lot parking permits to compensate for the loss of 40 spaces under a new lease negotiated with the town of Falmouth, which owns the back parking lot at the Woods Hole terminal.
“In order for revenues from this fewer number of Woods Hole parking permit holders to cover the parking lot’s direct expenses, we need to increase the price of the annual Woods Hole parking permit by $200, from $900 to $1,100,” the SSA said in its management meeting summary.
