steamship authority

After a decade as general manager, Robert Davis stepped down and was replaced in January of this year by Alex Kryska.

State Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro says the Steamship Authority wasted millions of public dollars. He still thinks the ferry service could turn things around.

The scathing, 59-page report from the Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General was released Thursday.

Woods Hole residents are calling on state environmental leaders and the Steamship Authority to track emissions and take concrete steps to shift some of the fleet away from diesel to less polluting hybrid ferries. Increases in ferry and truck traffic are fueling the activism.

A proposed slow zone for ferries, ships and large boats along the U.S. East Coast has been scrapped, after months of heated criticism from Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, and other coastal communities. Whale conservationists lamented the move as a major loss, saying the federal proposal was a “much needed” effort to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales from extinction.

The Head Start program allows year-round and seasonal residents of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket the opportunity to make up to 10 summer reservations per customer prior to the openings to the public. But the true test of the reservation system is still to come.

General Manager Bob Davis announced he will leave the top position at the ferry service in the next year. Multiple high-summer trip cancellations, concerns over cost overruns, and frustrations with the antiquated reservation system have combined to draw criticism of the Authority's management.

The Steamship Authority posted an invitation for bids in Boats and Harbors online publication, saying all bids will be accepted until 2:00 p.m. on September 10th.

The Steamship Authority has already begun taking action on a finding of a state audit that says employees lack adequate training for cybersecurity awareness.

New electric buses will help reduce the ferry line's carbon footprint.