For three of the last six years, the opening day of summer vehicle reservations with the Steamship Authority has been plagued by technology problems.

The Steamship Authority saw last month's Martha's Vineyard passenger traffic rise nearly 26 per cent compared to January 2022.

The weekend's cold has caused mechanical problems in three ferries.

After vowing that Tuesday’s online opening for auto reservations for the Martha’s Vineyard route would run more smoothly than the chaotic Nantucket opening day, the results did not bear out the promise.

The Steamship Authority’s multi-year reconstruction of its Woods Hole terminal is now fully focused on the land side of the property, where the longtime staging area for Vineyard-bound vehicles was recently demolished.

Next Tuesday will be different. That was the pledge from the Steamship Authority this week after a series of website problems marred the opening day for online summer reservations on the Nantucket route.

Questions for the Steamship Authority leadership.

Weather conditions on Christmas Eve were already bad and getting worse when the Steamship Authority made the call to cancel its remaining ferries that evening, general manager Robert Davis told the SSA port council on Tuesday.

With the $5.6 million purchase last month of a third offshore service vessel (OSV) from a Louisiana firm, the Steamship Authority has another new ferry to name.