Commuters aren’t the only ones suffering from the numerous delays and cancellations caused by ferry disruptions in the past few weeks. Business owners from across the Island who rely on the ferry to transport cargo to and from the mainland have dealt with late and cancelled shipments that have cost them thousands of dollars.

EC Cottle, a lumberyard with branches in Edgartown and West Tisbury, typically makes 12 reservations a week for deliveries of building materials from Woods Hole to the Vineyard.

Manager Edmund Cottle 3rd estimates that he’s lost between $4,000 to $5,000 and 75,000 pounds of material in the past few weeks from cancelled loads and overtime payments to drivers sitting at the terminal.

“The lack of communication is the biggest problem,” said Mr. Cottle, who added he has only received generic update emails from the Steamship Authority. “It would be nice to know before we go off that we might not be able to come home.”

Mr. Cottle also expressed frustration at how the SSA prioritizes which trucks get on the boat based on commodity. He said food is the highest priority while building materials are one of the farthest down the line.

Priority for different commodities starts at mail, followed by hazardous materials, trash/septic and food, according to the SSA.

Cape Cod Express, a freight delivery service based out of Wareham, has faced similar disruptions to business operations. General manager Fred Day told the Gazette that the delays have been an inconvenience to customers.

“It’s certainly delayed service,” said Mr. Day. “We’ve had some trailers take a little while to get over. It’s certainly not business as usual.”

Cronig’s Market owner Steve Bernier said he’s been dealing with rotten food, lost business and lots of time spent on the phone chasing items down and trying to make sure everything fits into his trailer. He said that multiple delivery trucks use the ferry every day to deliver goods to the market.

“I’m busy picking up the pieces,” said Mr. Bernier. “I gotta keep product on the shelves.”

Mr. Bernier added that it’s been a mess of a month ever since the string of northeasters started the pattern of frequent ferry delays and cancellations. Though it’s been frustrating, he said he’s dealt with it all before and doesn’t think yelling to the SSA about it will do any good.

“It’s just the things of life,” said Mr. Bernier. “I say thank God it’s March. Hopefully we get this over with before Easter weekend.”

Adam Bresnick, co-owner of Island Food Products in Vineyard Haven echoed this sentiment. “If it’s going to happen, it’s better off happening this time of year,” Mr. Bresnick said. “Without the ferries, we’re not in business.”

Mr. Bresnick said that he typically has one to two trucks of goods take the ferry several times a week to make deliveries to Island restaurants and retail stores. He said there’s been some challenges, but it’s just part of his line of work.

“In our business there’s always something that goes on,” said Mr. Bresnick. “It’s just the business of living on an Island.”