The new hybrid ferry Woods Hole made her first voyage a little earlier than planned this month in Morgan City, La., where the vessel is nearing completion.

Heavy rains in the upper Midwest have caused flooding along the Mississippi River, and forecasts of the high water moving down the river to Louisana prompted the governor to declare a state of emergency. The builders, Conrad Shipyard, decided to move the unfinished vessel further inland along the Atchafalaya River to another boatyard. On Monday, Jan. 4, the M/V Woods Hole was towed from Conrad’s Morgan City shipyard to another Conrad yard in Amelia, La.

The move, about a five-mile trip up-river, was a bit tight in spots, Steamship Authority general manager Wayne Lamson told the board of governors Tuesday.

“We’re informed that when the vessel traveled under the old highway bridge, it cleared by two and a half feet,” Mr. Lamson said at the January meeting in Falmouth.

The move could add as much as 10 days to the delivery date of the new vessel, according to the shipyard. Construction is already running behind schedule. The shipyard now estimates a delivery date of June 6. The contracted delivery date was May 27.

Mr. Lamson said he is somewhat optimistic that the shipyard can make up some time and predicted the ferry will arrive on Martha’s Vineyard closer to the original delivery date.

Carl Walker, director of engineering for the Steamship Authority who regularly visits the shipyard in Louisiana, agreed. “I would say everyone in that shipyard will do everything they can to make the original schedule,” he said. “They’re working a lot of hours.”

The 235-foot Woods Hole is designed to carry 10 fully loaded tractor trailer trucks or 55 cars. The vessel will also be able to accommodate up to 385 passengers. The SSA plans to assign the new ferry to the Woods Hole to Oak Bluffs route, beginning this summer.

Also at Tuesday’s meeting in Woods Hole, newly-seated chairman Elizabeth Gladfelter of Falmouth asked boat line managers to expand the scope of an in-house feasibility study for new freight service between New Bedford and the Vineyard. Ms. Gladfelter asked the staff to explore whether a service that could carry cars in addition to freight could be economically viable.

“We’ve already started to update previous estimates,” Mr. Lamson said. “We’ve had some preliminary discussions with a potential private carrier.” He said he hopes to complete the study in two to three months.

Vineyard governor Marc Hanover reiterated his doubts that a new freight service could be economically feasible.

“I think we’re going down a slippery slope, here,” said Mr. Hanover, who participated in the meeting by speaker phone after high winds and frigid temperatures disrupted morning ferry service. Mr. Hanover wants senior staff to focus on studying the viability of a private carrier that would contract to haul trash from the Vineyard to New Bedford.

The November traffic report shows increases in all categories. Passenger traffic was up 7.3 per cent; automobile traffic was up 6.9 per cent; small truck traffic increased 14 per cent; and larger freight truck traffic was up 11.6 per cent.

Boat line treasurer Bob Davis reported that preliminary estimates show net operating revenue is $10 million for the calendar year, $5 million higher than budget projections. Most of that is due to sharply reduced costs for fuel. Mr. Davis said total operating revenue for the year is just over $100 million, for the first time in SSA history.