It’s been a long wait, but the M/V Monomoy, last of three sister vessels converted by the Steamship Authority (SSA) to be used as a freight ferry, entered service on Friday.
According to a press release from the SSA, the Monomoy arrived at the Hyannis terminal at 11:30 am, where it loaded 10 cars, seven trucks, and a school bus before departing for Nantucket. The vessel arrived at the Nantucket terminal at 2:45 pm, and a brief commissioning celebration was held on the island where SSA General Manager Alex Kryska performed the ceremonial christening before the vessel was reloaded for its next departure.
“The M/V Monomoy entering service is an important milestone for the Steamship Authority’s four-year project to modernize its fleet with the purchase of these three vessels,” Kryska said in the release. “Having three like-new vessels with an identical design provides significant operational upgrades for our operation, including the interchangeability of spare parts and commonalities in crew training. They will provide reliable, efficient service to our customers and the islands for decades to come.”
The Monomoy is one of three vessels purchased by the SSA in 2022 from Louisiana-based Hornbeck Offshore Services. The Monomoy was converted at Alabama shipyard, as were the Aquinnah and the Barnstable, which were commissioned in 2024 and 2025 respectively. According to the release, the conversion costs were partly covered by an agreement with the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority that “yielded $28.1 million in federal funding.”
Still, the ferry line faced troubles when funding the project. The cost of converting the three offshore supply vessels exceeded the Steamship Authority’s estimate of $9 million per boat, with the lowest bid coming in at $20 million. The ferry line was able to negotiate the price down to $13.7 million each for the Aquinnah and the Barnstable and $17 million for the Monomoy.
The Monomoy first arrived in Massachusetts in January to the SSA vessel maintenance facility in Fairhaven, where it remained berthed for its final outfitting and U.S. Coast Guard inspections until 8 am on Friday.
The release states the Monomoy had been “bisected and its midbody removed” to its current length of 245 feet. The vessel has two Caterpillar engines each rated at 2,000 horsepower, two controllable pitch propellers, and three 950 horsepower thrusters to “allow greater maneuverability.”
“The vessel also boasts state-of-the-art radar, communications, and navigation systems, two marine evacuation systems and a rescue boat, and an interior passenger area with seating for approximately 80 passengers,” the release states. “The vessel can carry the equivalent of approximately 50 automobiles per trip.”