Updated August 12
A combination of crew shortages and “unforeseen circumstances” led to 16 Steamship Authority cancellations over the weekend — one of the busiest travel days of the year — on the Martha’s Vineyard route, coupled with numerous ferry delays.
It is uncertain how many passengers with vehicle reservations were impacted by the summertime weekend cancellations.
“I do not have a number of cars that were affected,” Steamship communications director Sean Driscoll told the Times. “Everyone who was on the property Saturday and Sunday waiting to travel was accommodated, but I have no way of knowing how many people may have changed their plans and left.”
According to a Monday statement provided by Steamship general manager Robert Davis, a total of eight round-trips were canceled over the weekend — eight trips on each day. The absence of one licensed deck officer led to the crew shortage on Saturday.
“When an absence at this level is reported, the Steamship Authority takes every step possible to find a replacement deck officer – including, in many circumstances, having management-level positions fill in,” he said in the statement. “On Saturday, unfortunately, a replacement was unable to be secured.”
He underscored the hard work of vessel crews and terminal staff to accommodate customers over the weekend.
Adding insult to injury, a storm on Saturday knocked out power at the Steamship’s Mashpee reservations office in the morning, although the issue was resolved by noon, according to Driscoll.
“All customers who were waiting to travel as a result of Saturday’s crewing cancellations on the Woods Hole–Martha’s Vineyard route were accommodated by the end of the day,” Driscoll said.
On Sunday, trips were canceled because of what the Steamship at the time called “unforeseen circumstances.” The ferry line later clarified that the issues on Sunday were due to a spillover in cancellations from the previous day.
“Our crews and terminal personnel worked hard through the day and were able to accommodate all customers who were waiting for travel on Saturday,” Davis, the general manager, said in the statement. “However, the resulting delays to service meant that vessels ended their operating day late [on Saturday]. That, in turn, meant two early morning trips on Sunday were canceled and others delayed to allow crews to get their Coast Guard-mandated rest periods.”
The mandated rest periods require staff to stop working after a certain period of time to avoid fatigue, similar to airline pilots and firefighters. Steamship crew members work 18 hours in a 24-hour period, which the union representing the ferry line’s crews, Teamsters Local 59, has been trying to negotiate down to 12 hours.
“Our crews and terminal personnel again worked hard to accommodate customers on Sunday, but two more round trips ultimately were canceled due to delays that compounded through the day,” Davis added.
“Today [Monday], our vessels are running as scheduled,” Davis said. “We thank our customers for their patience and understanding as we worked as a team to minimize the effects of a challenging weekend. We also thank our employees for their hard work during this time.”
Throughout the weekend, the ferry line also asked customers to remain respectful.
“Our crews and terminal personnel are working hard to accommodate today’s affected customers. Please remember your patience as you travel today,” the online post reads. “We have received disturbing reports of verbal abuse directed at our employees, and there is no excuse for that behavior. We understand this is a frustrating situation, but please treat our employees with the same respect you would like to receive.”
The Steamship Authority has had to make cancellations during the busy summer season weekend last month as well. A generator issue with the Island Home, one of the ferry line’s largest vessels, stranded around 76 vehicle reservations.
Eunki Seonwoo contributed to this story.
