Cape Cod

Staffing shortage leads to cancellations on Steamship ferries

The Steamship Authority canceled four weekend trips between Hyannis and Nantucket.

Craig F. Walker / The Boston Globe, File

June 3, 2024

1 minute to read

Staffing shortages have already caused cancellations of trips as the summer season kicks off on the Cape and Islands.

On Sunday, four round-trips between Hyannis and Nantucket on the Steamship Authority’s high-speed ferry M/V Iyanough were canceled, according to a spokesperson for the Authority. The pilot scheduled to operate the vessel was unable to work. No other qualified personnel was available to fill in.

The Steamship Authority will refund passengers scheduled for the June 2 departures or allow them to request to use their tickets for passage another time.

The cancellations come less than a week after the Steamship Authority announced a modified summer schedule due to “concerns over crewing levels.”

According to a press release from the Authority, modifications to the Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard routes will take effect between June 17 and Sept. 5.

Three trips on the M/V Sankaty will no longer operate on schedule between Monday and Friday. The M/V Woods Hole will run in place of the M/V Governor.

The M/V Sankaty will run on the Nantucket route instead of the M/V Woods Hole. Also, the M/V Iyanough will continue to run four round-trips over a day and will not add its fifth round-trip as initially planned.

The Authority’s Reservation Office is rebooking customers affected by the schedule changes.