The Steamship Authority is fielding a pair of requests from marine transportation companies to expand their services to Martha’s Vineyard.

General manager Alex Kryska said the Seastreak ferry line has asked to resume year-round passenger trips between New Bedford and Vineyard Haven, while New Bedford-based Offshore Tug & Transportation wants to add a Vineyard route to its existing Nantucket service.

The Steamship Authority previously licensed Seastreak to operate year-round in 2023, but after drawing only about 30 to 40 commuters a day, the company opted not to continue in 2024 and 2025.

“They think it’s worth pursuing now, with the [commuter] train coming all the way to New Bedford,” Mr. Kryska told the port council Tuesday morning.

Mr. Kryska said he’s asked Seastreak management to consider adding a Woods Hole stop, for workers who are currently commuting to the village by road. 

“We know that WHOI [Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution] has people coming from New Bedford. We know that Falmouth Academy has people coming from New Bedford. So it’s definitely something worth discussing and seeing how it can work out,” Mr. Kryska said.

Seastreak’s initial request in 2023 was based on the expected completion of a rail link from Boston, which wound up being delayed.

Commuter rail finally reached New Bedford in late March of 2025, making it possible to travel overland between Boston and the Vineyard without enduring Cape Cod bridge traffic.

Mr. Kryska said Seastreak is taking steps to cut potential operating losses from winter ferry service.

“They’re looking at getting some grant funding, to cover the lack of revenue they will receive in the off season,” he said.

Seastreak service to the Vineyard is currently scheduled to end Oct. 12.

Offshore Tug & Transportation, which has two former Steamship Authority freight boats in its fleet, already holds an authority license to ship to and from Nantucket and recently inquired about expanding to the Vineyard.

“We’re going to be looking at the actual need for that… because we already have 41 North and there’s also Packer,” Mr. Kryska said, naming the two marine transportation firms currently serving the Island.

“Obviously, we want to make sure that we protect [41 North Offshore and R.M. Packer], but we definitely have to take a serious look at that licensing for OTT,” he said.

The Steamship Authority governing board is expected to take up both licensing requests at its Sept. 15 meeting in Nantucket.

Also on Tuesday, Oak Bluffs port council member Joe Sollitto questioned Steamship Authority staff on why 50 arrivals and 50 departures were diverted from Oak Bluffs to Vineyard Haven in July, a month in which no trips were cancelled due to weather.

“Why, if the weather wasn’t that bad, was it worse three miles over in Oak Bluffs than it was in Vineyard Haven?” asked Mr. Sollitto, who has spoken out more than once on the financial cost to Oak Bluffs merchants when ferries are diverted.

Chief operating officer Mark Amundsen said ferry captains make the decision to divert when sea conditions threaten a dangerous landing.

“When we have swells coming from a specific direction, it is unsafe to discharge at the transfer bridge,” Mr. Amundsen said.

A powerful current from the wrong angle can lift a ferry by the stern and create potentially catastrophic instability, he said.

“The vessel will actually be going up and down at the transfer bridge. And if that breaks away, then we could have a serious incident,” he said.

All of the Steamship Authority ferries are equally affected by the problem, Mr. Amundsen said.

The authority is preparing to add additional bollards at the landing slip to provide more tie-in points for docking and undocking, he said.

“It’s going to give more … confidence to the crew that they’re able to be stable inside the transfer bridge,” Mr. Amundsen said.

Mr. Sollitto also called for the Steamship Authority to restore its standby service for same-day travelers, saying the Blue Line for Island drivers hasn’t been a success.

Mr. Kryska was willing to consider the suggestion.

“There are challenges with that, but I think your suggestion is warranted for us to look at, possibly doing it Tuesday through Thursday [or] Monday through Thursday,” he said.

The next round of public sessions on the Steamship Authority’s new reservations system is coming up, Mr. Amundsen said.

On Sept. 17 at the Martha’s Vineyard Film Center in Vineyard Haven, the authority will hold a meeting for shippers from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., followed by a meeting for the general public from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The new system’s testing phase is taking longer than expected, Mr. Amundsen said, and the program now is expected to roll out early next year instead of in 2026.

The Steamship Authority and its contractors are focusing their resources on getting it done, he said.

“It’s all hands on deck,” Mr. Amundsen said.

That includes pulling in managers and staff from other departments, Mr. Kryska said, to make sure the testing and training is as rigorous as possible.

“We’re definitely adding more and more people, and … hiring former employees to come and help as well,” he said.