The Island Home, the largest vessel in the Steamship Authority (SSA) fleet, has been sidelined in Woods Hole after the ferry line lapsed in completion of federal paperwork.
That makes two vessels, including the freight vessel Monomoy, that had to be taken out of service for administrative lapses this month.
“I’ll be frank: it’s unacceptable that two vessels in as many weeks have been sidelined by what are, essentially, paperwork issues,” Alex Kryska, SSA general manager, wrote in a letter issued to customers Saturday. “I’m angry about it, as are many of our staff members, but it’s also an opportunity for us to improve how we do business.”
According to Kryska’s letter, the Island Home was taken out of service after SSA staff learned that the vessel’s radiotelephony certificate from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) had expired, which is required for it to operate.
The issue was found during a review of the fleet’s regulatory paperwork. The review was prompted by a scheduling problem with the Monomoy, which sails between Hyannis and Nantucket. The Monomoy was taken out of operation on Sept. 1 for a mandatory U.S. Coast Guard inspection.
“The vessel’s quarterly inspection schedule had not been followed in accordance with the Authority’s established procedures, but the matter was resolved immediately upon the availability of the U.S. Coast Guard,” Kryska wrote. The Monomoy returned to service the following day.
There wasn’t a “mechanical or operational defect” with either vessel, Kryska noted. The Island Home awaits FCC certification, and the earliest it is expected to return is Tuesday, according to Kryska’s letter.
Another ferry, the Martha’s Vineyard, needed to sail Saturday from the SSA’s vessel maintenance facility in Fairhaven to run in the Island Home’s place. The gap was filled starting with the 2:30 pm departure from Vineyard Haven, and additional crew were brought in to “run extra service on the M/V Barnstable to help ‘clean up’ the backlog of customers waiting to travel,” Kryska wrote.
Exactly how many vehicle reservations were impacted is uncertain, and Sean Driscoll, the SSA communications director, said in a Monday email to The Times, “Unfortunately it’s hard to do that after the fact, so I won’t be able to provide that.”
But there were certainly delays to vehicle reservations. Cars were stranded after the 1:15 pm departure from Woods Hole, Kryska’s letter reads, and around five or six cars had to wait because the Martha’s Vineyard has a smaller capacity. It can carry 54 vehicles, whereas the Island Home can accommodate 60 vehicles and 16 more on hydraulic lift decks if necessary.
“An added disruption came from an unrelated delay of the M/V Aquinnah due to a passenger who needed medical assistance at the Oak Bluffs Terminal,” Kryska wrote. He noted that one trip on the freight ferry Aquinnah had to be canceled because the crew was running out of workable hours, which are restricted by Coast Guard regulations. Still, “our teams in Woods Hole and on the Vineyard did get everyone on a boat who needed to travel on Saturday.”
The SSA stated in a Sunday social media post that customers may need to be accommodated on other trips due to the continued use of the Martha’s Vineyard.
Kryska wrote in his letter that the radio certification was the only item found to be out of compliance. He added that now regulatory deadlines are entered into a central database for tracking, and the ferry line’s internal communications systems will be used in a “more efficient way” to ensure multiple staff members are notified in advance of paperwork expiration.
“I know Saturday was a frustrating day for our customers, and it was for our staff, too. But we will learn and improve from these incidents and, ultimately, become a stronger organization,” Kryska wrote. “Thanks to everyone for their patience Saturday, and thanks to our employees who worked hard, long hours to deal with a difficult situation.”
