Six and a half weeks after starting the job he called “a dream come true,” Jordan Baptiste has resigned his position as port captain for the Steamship Authority.

Mr. Baptiste resigned May 31 for personal reasons, effective immediately, boat line communications director Sean Driscoll said Monday.

Records from Edgartown district court show that Mr. Baptiste was arrested by Tisbury police on May 27 and charged with drunken driving and other moving violations. He was arraigned in district court on May 28 and pleaded not guilty to the charges, court records show. A pretrial hearing has been scheduled for June 20. Mr. Baptiste is 38 and lives in Vineyard Haven.

A 2000 graduate of the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School who served in the U.S. Coast Guard from 2002 to 2007, Mr. Baptiste began work as port captain April 16. The position had been vacant since before last year’s comprehensive review of boat line operations by HMS and Glosten. Former port captain Greg Gifford retired in the spring of 2018, following a winter of cancellations and breakdowns on ferries that eventually led to the independent management review.

Consultants at HMS had asked that hiring for the post be frozen until their report was completed.

When the consultants released their final review in December, their recommendations included having the port captain report to a newly-created position, director of marine operations.

SSA governors accepted the recommendation, announcing the hires of both positions on Mr. Baptiste’s first day.

Mark Amundsen, whose career in shipping and ferries goes back 30 years, started his job as the SSA’s first director of marine operations May 6.

Under the new organizational chart recommended by HMS/Glosten, the director of marine operations oversees the port captain, who directly supervises the ferry captains and their crews.

HMS/Glosten also recommended that the boat line hire a director of Health, Safety, Quality and Environmental (HSQE). Angela Sampson began work in that position April 16.

Another position that is strongly recommended in the HMS/Glosten report, chief operating officer, has not been authorized by the SSA governors.

The Steamship Authority is seeking qualified applicants for the port captain’s position, Mr. Driscoll said.

Noah Asimow contributed reporting.