Steamship defends new freight vessel performance

To the Editor:

A recent letter (August 21: “State Auditor necessary for SSA oversight?”) regarding the Steamship Authority’s new freight vessel MV Aquinnah contained several inaccuracies and misstatements of fact that must be clarified and corrected. 

The MV Aquinnah is a new vessel to the authority. During its first year of operation, a learning curve can be expected, and adjustments will be made to ensure optimal performance — not unusual at all. 

Despite claims of “multiple mechanical issues and cancellations,” the MV Aquinnah completed 97 percent of more than 500 scheduled trips in the two months following its commission. While any trip cancellation is frustrating, the MV Aquinnah’s initial performance record is impressive.

Purchasing, essentially, three vessels for the price of one newly built vessel better positions the authority to plan and finance further upgrades to its fleet, a process that will include a thorough investigation of hybrid propulsion or alternative fuel. 

The representation that the $5.6 million purchase price “ballooned to $82 million” cherry-picks two figures without any context. Not only does it not clearly state the purchase price was per vessel, but it does not clearly explain that total project costs followed the board’s approval for the conversation and supply costs, which projected the three-vessel cost to be $81 million, or $27 million per vessel. 

The letter further suggested that the authority’s finances did not necessitate these purchases. In reality, the authority is a self-funded public ferry company, which made this project the smartest way to improve its fleet and reliability. Those goals are being realized. 

The authors also asked, “is it time to call in the state auditor for some oversight?” They must have missed State Auditor Diana DiZoglio’s most recent audit of the authority last year, which can easily be found on mass.gov, as well as our annual audits by RSM LLP, one of the country’s leading accounting and audit firms, which are available in our annual reports on our website.

Suggesting poor decisionmaking on behalf of the authority in purchasing three former offshore supply vessels — built to a higher environmental standard than their predecessors, with similar design and the ability to be truly interchangeable — to cost-effectively meet current vehicle and freight transport needs is misguided and unfortunate.

The Steamship Authority encourages community interest in its operations, but these discussions are best held on a bedrock of facts, not misinformation and innuendo. 

Sean Driscoll, communications director

Woods Hole, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority