Updated 7 am, Monday
The MV Martha’s Vineyard missed two crossings Saturday evening because of mechanical issues, yet another setback for the recently refurbished ferry.
It returned to service Saturday night, but even with the Martha’s Vineyard making its regular crossings vehicle capacity is severely limited with both the MV Woods Hole and MV Island Home still not back in service.
Here’s the latest alert from the Steamship Authority:
“Because neither the M/V Island Home nor the M/V Woods Hole has yet returned to provide service for the island of Martha’s Vineyard, we will once again need to have the M/V Katama make additional trips tonight (leaving Woods Hole around 10:45 p.m. and then arriving back around12:30 a.m. Monday morning) and early tomorrow morning (leaving Woods Hole again at 4:30 a.m.). Whether we will also need to operate those additional trips Monday night and Tuesday morning depends on when the M/V Island Home is able to resume service.
“Meanwhile, we have extended our charter of the M/V Whaling City Express so that it will continue to provide high-speed passenger ferry service between Vineyard Haven and Woods Hole on an hourly basis through Wednesday.
“Again, we apologize for the noise that this may generate during the late night and early morning hours, and we will make every effort to minimize any noise generated by our operations.”
What happened Thursday
The MV Martha’s Vineyard boarded passengers and vehicles for its 5 pm crossing from Woods Hole to Vineyard Haven and then had to unload them.
Walk-on passengers from the ferry were given priority on the SeaStreak fast ferry, but cars and trucks were still on the vessel. An SSA employee at the scene said it was a problem with the doors.
This issue comes just as it was just returned to the rotation this morning in what’s been an unprecedented two weeks of chaos for the Steamship Authority.
This is from a Times reader: “The 5 pm ferry from WH made it 50’ before returning to dock with the freight door stuck. It is now fixed to be closed manually and they are waiting for USCG blessings!”
A short-time later, he sent a followup message saying the Coast Guard had cleared the ferry to leave. “We had a car on board so had to stay on board,” he wrote.
In an email to The Times, SSA general manager Robert Davis wrote: “The issue was fixed and the vessel is operating off schedule right now.”
Island Home’s delayed
The Island Home, scheduled for possible return Friday, has been delayed because of a software problem, another blow for the Steamship Authority as it tries to right the ship.
In a conversation with The Times Thursday, general manager Robert Davis said the fleet’s largest ferry isn’t ready. A software upgrade on the ferry’s bow thrusters was not installed properly, he said.
“At this point it’s a fluid discussion, but it looks like the earliest it will return would be Saturday or Sunday,” Davis said.
That leaves the MV Martha’s Vineyard, which just returned Thursday after its woes, two freight boats and the SeaStreak fast ferry to shuttle passengers to and from the Island during the busy Easter holiday weekend.
As a result there is limited capacity, so some reservations will be canceled and there won’t be standby available, Davis said. The SSA is also adding freight runs early Friday morning, including one leaving at 4:30 am from Woods Hole to carry trucks to the Island.
“Again, we apologize for the noise that this may generate during the early morning hours, and we will make every effort to minimize any noise generated by our operations,” Davis said.
The MV Woods Hole continues to be put through its paces in Fairhaven, but has not yet been cleared to return to service, Davis said. The cause of the problems with the $40.4 million ferry, which went into service less than two years ago, remain under investigation and can’t yet be linked to the grounding in Vineyard Haven that set off the two weeks of problems.
“We want to find out what’s happening and make sure our crews, captains have full capabilities,” Davis said, noting the alarm that went off Tuesday that forced the boat out of service. “A lot’s riding on board, our passengers, vehicles.”
A console light on the bridge of the MV Woods Hole will not turn off, according to SSA board member Marc Hanover, the Vineyard’s representative. Hanover said he was told the light is an indicator for the variable pitch props at the stern of the vessel. Divers have explored the hull and cannot find anything amiss, he said. Experts have been flown in from Denmark, Mexico, and Canada to help diagnose and solve the glitches in the Woods Hole and its sister ferries.
The Woods Hole is slated to be loaded with SSA buses and employee cars tomorrow for sea trials to recreate conditions that triggered the light, Hanover said. The vessel is now not expected to re-enter service until at least Monday, when Coast Guard officials will again be available to inspect it. Hanover stressed SSA brass has been working round the clock.
“These guys haven’t been sleeping, I can assure you of that,” he said.
When informed the problems besetting the SSA’s fleet have triggered social media nostalgia for the old ferry Islander, Hanover wasn’t surprised.
“It was a very simple boat,” he said, referring to its minimal electronic systems. “It always ran, boy it always ran,” he said.
During the wide-ranging conversation, Davis thanked customers, especially those who reached out, for their patience during what’s been a difficult time.
“I can understand why there would be frustration. We’re frustrated as well,” he said. “We endeavor to be running a reliable service. We’re embarrassed we’re not.”
Davis acknowledge the problems with communications and noted that’s one of the reasons he asked the governing board to authorize hiring a communications director. He said the SSA will explore social media, particularly Twitter, as a way to get the message out quicker to customers about mechanical issues and other cancellations.
“We clearly need to be looking at that,” Davis said. “We need to look to get information out quicker.”
The issue now is that he, other administrative staff, and even captains are working on the issues with the vessels, which is their priority.
Davis praised SSA staff for how they’ve handled themselves during the two-week crisis.
“I think in terms of the terminal people, I’ve been down to Woods Hole and Vineyard Haven, they’re holding up,” he said. “Things get a little tiring, I understand. They understand we have a job to do. We need to get people to where they need to be.”
Martha’s Vineyard is back
The Steamship Authority says the MV Martha’s Vineyard has been cleared to return to service Thursday morning.
“After inspecting the repairs made to the MV Martha’s Vineyard and taking the vessel on sea trials, the United States Coast Guard has cleared the vessel to return to service. It will operate its published schedule today beginning with its 7 am trip from Woods Hole.
“Standby travel is now open at both the Vineyard Haven and Woods Hole terminals.
“To ensure that we have sufficient passenger service through the weekend, we also have chartered SeaStreak’s M/V Whaling City Express through Monday, April 2nd. It will run today through Monday, April 2nd, providing trip leaving from Vineyard Haven on the hour from 6 am through 10 pm, and from Woods Hole on the half-hour from 6:30 am through 9:30 pm each day.”
Customers arrived at the Vineyard Haven terminal Wednesday morning to find the MV Martha’s Vineyard, just back after a week’s hiatus for repairs, in its slip and unable to load passengers because of a mechanical issue.
This comes just hours after the Steamship Authority canceled last night’s Woods Hole ferry for mechanical issues and shipped it to Fairhaven for repairs in what has become a nightmare scenario for Steamship Authority commuters and travelers.
At 2 pm, the SSA issued an alert cancelling the remainder of the day’s MV Martha’s Vineyard runs. Here is the statement:
“We have determined that a breaker in the electrical panel of the M/V Martha’s Vineyard needs to be replaced. We expect that the new breaker will be delivered, installed and tested in time for the vessel to be inspected and undergo sea trials with the Coast Guard early tomorrow morning; but as a result we have to cancel all of the M/V Martha’s Vineyard’s remaining trips today, as well as its 6 am trip tomorrow from Vineyard Haven. For walk-on passengers, we will be providing high-speed passenger service between Woods Hole and Vineyard Haven with SeaStreak’s MV Whaling City Express. Its first trip will leave Woods Hole at approximately 2:30 pm today, and it will then provide passenger shuttle service on an hourly basis, leaving Vineyard Haven on the hour and Woods Hole on the half-hour, with its last trip from Woods Hole leaving at 9:30 pm and its last trip from Vineyard Haven leaving at 10 pm. Because of all of the mechanical problems we have experienced with the MV Martha’s Vineyard and the MV Woods Hole over the past two weeks, we have chartered SeaStreak’s MV Whaling City Express through Monday, April 2nd, to ensure that we have additional passenger service through the weekend. As many of you already know, we regretfully have had to cancel or change a large number of vehicle reservations. As a result, we are currently not able to allow any vehicles to travel on a standby basis from either Vineyard Haven or Woods Hole, except for medical emergencies. We advise all our customers traveling today to call our Reservation Office at 508-477-8600 to check the status of their vehicle reservations. As before, we apologize for all of disruptions to our customers’ lives and businesses that have been caused by these events, and we will provide updates as more information becomes available.”
On the SSA website, there is an alert that describes what happened with the Martha’s Vineyard.
“During this morning’s engine start-up for the MV Martha’s Vineyard in Vineyard Haven, the breaker for the vessel’s steering pump tripped. The chief engineer on board the vessel recycled the breaker and was able to get the pump back on line, but we have cancelled the MV Martha’s Vineyard’s trips this morning in order to assess the situation,” according to the statement. “At this time, SSA engineering and maintenance department personnel and the manufacturer’s technician are on their way to Vineyard Haven. We hope that they will be able to resolve the problem as soon as possible so that the MV Martha’s Vineyard can resume service later today.
“With both the M/V Martha’s Vineyard and the M/V Woods Hole out of service today, we have had to cancel or change a large number of vehicle reservations. As a result, we are currently not able to allow any vehicles to travel on a standby basis from either Vineyard Haven or Woods Hole, except for medical emergencies. We will send out another notice to inform our customers if we are able to reopen the standby line later today. We advise all our customers traveling today to call our Reservation Office at 508-477-8600 to check the status of their vehicle reservations.
“For walk-on passengers, we have again chartered SeaStreak’s M/V Whaling City Express to provide high-speed passenger service between Woods Hole and Vineyard Haven. It is due to arrive at Woods Hole around 1:00 p.m. today and will then again operate essentially as a passenger shuttle service on an hourly basis to provide as many trips as possible.
“As before, we apologize for all of disruptions to our customers’ lives and businesses that have been caused by these events, and we will provide updates as more information becomes available.”
The governor’s office finally weighed in on the crisis Wednesday issuing a statement. “The Baker-Polito Administration has contacted the Steamship Authority to offer assistance and will remain in contact with their office as they work to return full ferry service to the people of Martha’s Vineyard.”
State Sen. Julian Cyr and state Rep. Dylan Fernandes issued a joint statement Wednesday saying they intend to meet with Davis to see what the state can do to assist. “We urge the Steamship Authority to be more transparent with Island residents and its customers about the cause of the service delays and what the Steamship Authority is doing to solve these persistent problems,” they said. “It is also clear that the Steamship Authority must improve communication to Vineyard residents and travelers about boat delays, ferry schedules, mechanical problems, and any other disruptions in operation.”
In an email late Wednesday, Davis said the most recent estimate for the return of the Island Home, which has been out of service for routine maintenance, is by the middle of Friday.
Tuesday
A Times editor waiting to board the 5 pm ferry departing Vineyard Haven was finally redirected to the incoming freight boat Katama.
At 7 pm, general manager Robert Davis issued the following statement explaining the problems with the M/V Woods Hole and heralding the return of the M/V Martha’s Vineyard, the ferry that just underwent a $17.5 million refurbishment:
“Prior to the MV Woods Hole’s 5 pm departure from Vineyard Haven today, an alarm code went off in the vessel’s control panel. Even though the Captain had experienced no loss of control or power, the Coast Guard was appropriately notified and the vessel has been taken out of service until this issue is investigated. It will be taken to our Fairhaven vessel maintenance facility with a tug escort later tonight. Unfortunately, this has caused us to cancel the MV Woods Hole’s 5 pm from Vineyard Haven to Woods Hole, and its 6:15 pm return trip from Woods Hole to Vineyard Haven.
“Thankfully, the MV Martha’s Vineyard was cleared to return to service late this afternoon. It left Fairhaven around 6 pm and is due to arrive around 7:30 pm in Woods Hole. As a result, we do not anticipate needing to cancel any more trips this evening, although our vessels will be running late.
“Tonight’s remaining scheduled departures from Vineyard Haven: 7:15 pm (MV Katama); 8:30 PM (MV Martha’s Vineyard); and 9:30 PM(MV Sankaty).
“Tonight’s remaining scheduled departures from Woods Hole: 7:30 pm (MV Martha’s Vineyard); 8:30 PM (MV Sankaty); and 9:45 PM (M/V Martha’s Vineyard).
“Tomorrow the MV Martha’s Vineyard and the MV Katama will continue operating on their published schedules; and the MV Sankaty will operate on the published schedule of the MV Island Home-MV Woods Hole. The MV Katama will also make an additional early morning trip, leaving Woods Hole at 4:30 am to carry freight trucks to Vineyard Haven before making its first scheduled trip off-island at 5:30 a.m.
“Again, we apologize for all of the inconvenience these events have caused. We will provide further updates when information becomes available.”
Travelers needing more information about their travel plans should call 508.548.3788 or 508.693.0367
Current Conditions may be viewed at steamshipauthority.
We spent all this money for these boats and they can’t even keep running??
The Islander was a workhorse, so what’s the problem with the “newer” boats? They can’t make them durable and workable like they used to or what??
This is what happens with a bureaucracy that does not have to answer to anyone. Rather than spend money on preventative maintenance and incorporating proper designs for upgrades (with systems redundancy), $60 million is spent on a new terminal and slip. The slip is necessary, but a big expensive building? I guess someone figured out that all the stranded passengers needed a place to hang out while the unreliable boats are broken down.
Have they started the design work for the bridge yet? With the cost of a round trip for cars and trucks as high as they are the only problem I see will be scheduling the armored truck to pick up the toll collections at the ticket booths on a regular basis.
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