The Steamship Authority’s second largest vehicle ferry will be sidelined until at least Friday due to damage on the vessel's portside propeller blades.
The Steamship Authority’s second largest vehicle ferry will be sidelined until at least Friday due to damage on the ship’s portside propeller blades.
On Monday, crew aboard the Woods Hole ferry noticed an irregularity while the vessel was working on the Vineyard route, according to a statement from the boat line.
A team of divers was sent to inspect the hull. The divers removed a line from the port shaft and also noted the damage to the propeller blades.
The damage requires the ferry to be taken out of the water and sent to the Thames Shipyard in New London, Conn. Repairs are expected to start on Wednesday, and the Steamship Authority said the ferry could be back in service on Friday.
The Steamship Authority does keep spare sets of blades for these propellers in case of damage.
The smaller M/V Governor will be taking over for the Woods Hole. Because of reduced vehicle capacities, there may be trip delays for some customers, but the Steamship Authority said it would use the vehicle lift decks aboard the Island Home ferry whenever possible.
Comments
Why don’t they use the lifts
Tom Engley West TisburyWhy don’t they use the lifts all the time. Makes no sense maybe someone can explain it to me.
I think those lift decks are
MSI think those lift decks are notoriously problematic. Plus it significantly adds to load/unload times.
Mr. Engley's question is a
Brent Godfrey Dovah, MAMr. Engley's question is a good one. Why doesn't the SSA utilize its lifts, especially during peak demand? After all, the SSA paid for the lifts (well, we did really) and installed them. The lifts obstruct trucks and tall vehicles on each voyage. Yes, loading and unloading more cars does take more time. However, the math is easy: either the lifts move more cars per day, or they don't. You know what I think? Using the lifts would move fewer cars per day. This explains why they don't use them. The SSA should never have paid for (I mean, should never have had us pay for) or installed the lifts. It also means you can add this to your ever-growing tally of SSA failures.
As a point of reference, this is the same Steamship Authority that cannot launch an app, though it is 2024.
Add new comment