The Steamship Authority’s (SSA) oldest vessel, a freight ferry called the Governor, hit the market this fall.
Bids are open until Dec. 8, and the ferry line previously assessed the Governor at an estimated value of $325,000. It’s currently docked at the SSA’s Fairhaven repair facility after serving one more summer as a spare ferry.
The SSA board unanimously approved selling the double-ended freight ferry in May as the ferry line looked at which vessels to replace in its fleet. While other vessels, the Sankaty and the Nantucket, were also under consideration for sale, the Governor was ultimately considered the riskiest to keep. It has antiquated systems and maintaining it up to standard and crewing the vessel would cost an estimated $1 million a year.
The Governor has sailed since 1954, first in California as the Crown City. It exchanged hands over the years, from Washington State Ferries to the U.S. Coast Guard. The Governor began sailing with the SSA as a back-up vessel for the Vineyard route in 1998.
