The cost of overhauling the Steamship Authority freight ferry M/V Katama, originally estimated at $1.1 million, has ballooned by more than 40 per cent after drydock workers found deteriorating structural steel deep inside the vessel.
The Steamship Authority's M/V Nantucket was back out of service on Wednesday and Thursday due to a nagging mechanical problem that first arose last weekend.
The Steamship Authority is preparing to purchase two Louisiana-based offshore supply vessels for conversion into freight ferries to replace the aging M/V Gay Head and M/V Katama.
A mechanical failure aboard the Steamship Authority's M/V Nantucket Saturday morning led to travel delays and confusion on both sides of Vineyard Sound.
Since mid-March, nearly 50 potential contractors have looked at the Steamship Authority's request for proposals to start a freight service to the Vineyard from New Bedford or another port not located on Cape Cod. The number that expressed interest? Zero.
The freight ferry M/V Gay Head is expected to be back in service Thursday following the replacement of part of its hull, where a crack above the water line was discovered last week.