Ferry conversion price tag jumps

Barnstable, Fairhaven, and Wampanoag are on the short list for ferry names.

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The Steamship Authority's Port Council opted to recommend Barnstable, Fairhaven, and Wampanoag as potential names for the third recently acquired Louisiana ferry. Shenandoah and Island Home were already taken. — Rich Saltzberg

The Steamship Authority’s Port Council learned Tuesday morning that the price of converting recently acquired offshore supply vessels into ferries has escalated due to steel cost increases. 

SSA general manager Robert Davis said price assumptions on the conversions were made months ago.

“We’ve been revisiting those assumptions, and with supply chain issues and the like, we feel that those initial pricing [points] are going to be a little light in terms of what the price is,” Davis said. “So we want to get a clearer understanding here of what it’s going to cost.”

Last year the SSA bought two Louisiana offshore supply vessels for conversion into freight ferries that will replace the Katama and the Gay Head, which are at the end of their useful lives in the SSA fleet. The two boats cost $11.3 million to buy. All costs associated with two vessels, including conversion in a shipyard, were expected to be about $32 million. The vessels were given the names Aquinnah and Monomoy by the board last year, even though they haven’t yet been transformed into ferries. This was due to a Coast Guard regulation requiring submission of a name within a short time frame after an acquisition. Davis said the scope of the work to convert the vessels has changed, so that not only have steel prices risen, but more steelwork appears necessary to affect the conversions. SSA director of marine operations Mark Amundsen said costs have risen from “even four or five months ago,” and steel has risen “significantly.” 

Davis didn’t offer what the increased estimate for the two vessels might be. Shipyards had asked for extensions for bid proposals on the conversions, he said. Previously slated for a Jan. 10 deadline, the proposals are expected Jan. 18. 

In November, the board authorized the $5.6 million purchase of a third offshore supply vessel in the same class as the Aquinnah and the Monomoy. Presently called the North Star, the SSA put it through an inspection at Bollinger Shipyard in Louisiana ahead of purchase. It was found to be in good shape. A bid package for that vessel is still being put together, according to Amundsen, and therefore hasn’t been sent out. The SSA has also expended $200,000 for a naval architect to help with conversion plans and other items. Amundsen said the figure covers all the vessels ripe for conversion. 

Davis said he expects treasurer Mark Rozum to ask the board for a bond authorization regarding the vessels. Davis said the request is connected to a petition to the state legislature for an increase in the ferry line’s bond ceiling. Davis said the SSA presently has a $100 million bonding limit. Just taking inflation into consideration, he said, that should be adjusted to $125 million. 

The SSA has an option on a fourth vessel in the same class as the Aquinnah, Monomoy, and North Star. If acquired, Davis said, it’s not yet clear where funding for the fourth vessel would come from. At the last board meeting, the ferry line received a $35.8 million windfall from the U.S. Transit Authority via the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority. However, this pot of money doesn’t appear to be sufficient to cover all costs associated with three vessels. Following the meeting, SSA spokesman Sean Driscoll noted the $35.8 million in federal grant money cannot be used for the purchase price of vessels, but can be used for the conversion costs associated with those vessels. 

As to what to name the third vessel, Davis said the clock is ticking. After deliberation, the council voted unanimously to put forth three names for the SSA board to consider at its January meeting: the Barnstable, Fairhaven, and Wampanoag. 

Ahead of the vote, Davis reminded the council a naming contest was held and that led to choosing the names Aquinnah and Monomoy for the first two vessels acquired. 

Davis said staff whittled down the remaining large batch of names to a group of 11: Amity, Barnstable, Cape Cod, Cottage City, Craigville, Fairhaven, Hyannisport, New Bedford, Sandy Neck, Teaticket, and Tuckernuck. Generally speaking, Davis said the list staff compiled was “more mainland-centric.” To avoid passenger confusion, Davis said proposed vessel names that exactly mimic present SSA ports weren’t put on the shortlist, such as “Hyannis.”

Barnstable Port Council member Roland (“Bud”) Breault advocated for choosing the name Barnstable. Fairhaven Port Council member Mark Rees pitched Fairhaven, noting, “Fairhaven sounds nicer than New Bedford.” Oak Bluffs Port Council member Joe Sollitto gravitated to Cottage City. Nantucket Port Council member Nathaniel Lowell called Hyannisport “too fluffy,” and described “Tuckernuck” as “a nice-sounding name.” Lowell said he supported selecting a mainland port for the renaming of the North Star. 

“This is an opportunity to have our mainland connections represented,” Robert Munier, Falmouth’s Port Council member, said.

Though not on the staff list, the name Wampanoag was discussed. 

Munier said that while it’s not a place name per se, Wampanoag represents a “well-known name that would have a lot of meaning to a lot of people …” 

Sollitto asked Davis if the SSA should consult the tribal council in Aquinnah ahead of considering that name. 

Davis was onboard with doing that, and added that he felt the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe should also be consulted. He noted there was precedent for Native American ferry names, as the Iyanough is named after a famous sachem. 

In other business, Tisbury Port Council member John Cahill raised the special service Patriot Party Boats ran Christmas Eve. Cahill said he thought it would be worthwhile to talk about why the SSA canceled ferries that day. As The Times previously reported, Patriot Party Boats owner Jim Tietjie took folks stranded in Falmouth to Oak Bluffs, and took primarily UPS and U.S. postal workers stranded in Oak Bluffs to Falmouth after the SSA ended service on Christmas Eve. Tietjie used his vessel Quickwater, which is often just referred to as “the Patriot.” 

Davis said foul weather that had been anticipated prompted vessel trips to be canceled. The SSA had been in contact with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency and the National Weather Service ahead of the weather system, Davis said. He also said he was “somewhat surprised” when crews and captains nonetheless opted for some trips during “steady 25 mph winds, with gusts up to 35 and 40.” The boom came down when it started to get dark and the forecast was for stronger winds. Among other things, “docking in Vineyard Haven was going to be a problem,” Davis said. 

Davis noted the Patriot isn’t comparable to SSA ferries. 

“Safety is paramount,” Davis said. “The Patriot is a different vessel, and the characteristics of that are different. The route that they were on was different.”

Sollitto asked if the freight ferries, with their lower profiles (less windage) could be of more use in storms. Davis pointed to the Katama on Christmas Eve as to why, at least, the option wasn’t viable. 

“The Katama was actually one of the first vessels to cancel,” Davis said, “because they needed to get the weight on it — there were no trucks to get the weight — to keep the vessel down in the water.”

However, he said, the Aquinnah and Monomoy will possess “different handling characteristics, especially with the dual bow thrusters and the stern thrusters.” He suggested that once operational, the SSA can see if those features make a difference under foul-weather conditions. 

Sollitto asked if the SSA might forge a deal with Patriot Party Boats. Davis downplayed the idea, because he said the boating company was not licensed by the SSA. The passenger capacity of Patriot Party Boat vessels appears to exempt it from the strictures of the SSA Enabling Act, unlike Hy-Line, for instance. 

5 COMMENTS

  1. Obviously, the SSA top-heavy ferry (money pit is junk) so much wasted money for a boat that is more for a lake than an ocean. The Patriot is very different and more capable in the crossing from Falmouth to MV.

    • The Patroit uses a long retired converted crew/supply vessel.
      The Patroit is a true lake boat.
      The boats the SSA just bought can be registered to operate on any ocean.
      What is your maritime background that leads you to believe that 65 foot clapped out inshore oil support boat is more capable than a relatively new, low hour, 235 foot offshore support ship?
      The Patroit very different and far less capable than any SSA ship..

  2. contact Edgartown officials and learn about the Tidal Power permit for Muskeget Channel…help me generate interest and I’ll install a 5Mw generator to power a new lineup of electric ferries…the project will pay for itself and start a new infinitely sustainable industry for coastal Massachusetts…this can start happening now…what a great message to the world from MV…watch and learn…

  3. well, there is quite a bit in this article–
    So, first, –just last week, conservative snowflakes were whining about Commonwealth wind wanting to get out of its contract due to escalating cost.
    Not long ago, Tisbury voted to add almost 50 % more the cost of their school renovation project without any regard to renewable forms of energy.
    Inflation is running at about 8 % this year, so it would be reasonable to expect that the Steamship would justify a 50 % rise in costs—

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