Important Systems Updates

July 19, 2021

The eFerry ticketing program is now online! Please visit app.steamshipauthority.com to purchase tickets for our traditional ferries. 

July 7, 2021 update

The eFerry ticketing program remains offline at this time. 

June 30, 2021 update

Steamship Authority Concludes Ransomware Investigation

FALMOUTH, Mass. (June 30, 2021)- On June 2, 2021, the Woods Hole, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority detected a ransomware event impacting certain operations. We promptly initiated response protocols, including notifying law enforcement on the state and federal level as well as launching an investigation. In line with our business continuity plan, we immediately took steps to ensure the continued operation of our ferries. As a result, all existing customer reservations were honored, and no scheduled trips were canceled and not in any way was the safety of our vessels affected. At no time did the Steamship Authority engage with the cybercriminals or pay a ransom.

As part of the Steamship Authority’s comprehensive response to this event, we worked with third-party cybersecurity forensic investigators to conduct a thorough internal investigation. After a rigorous evaluation of our systems, this investigation has now concluded and the cybersecurity investigators have confirmed that no sensitive information, including customer data or payment information, was viewed or downloaded during this incident. In light of this criminal act, we have also implemented additional safeguards to bolster our already robust protocols.

The Steamship Authority thanks local, state, and federal agencies, including law enforcement, for their help throughout this incident. We also thank our employees for their dedication and hard work to keep our ferries running and restore our systems. Finally, the Steamship Authority extends our gratitude to our customers and the communities we serve for their patience and understanding.

June 22, 2021 update

FALMOUTH – Woods Hole, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority General Manager Robert B. Davis made the following statement at the Tuesday, June 22, 2021, joint meeting of the Authority’s Port Council and Board.

“On the morning of on June 2, 2021, the Woods Hole, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority detected a ransomware event impacting certain operations. We promptly initiated response protocols and notified law enforcement, including the Massachusetts State Police, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, about the incident.

“In line with our business continuity plan, which is in place for all service disruptions due to storms or other incidents, we immediately took steps to ensure the continued operation of our ferries. Thanks to our incident response protocols, and the fast and diligent work of our employees, all existing customer reservations were honored, and no scheduled trips were canceled. Most importantly, at no time was the safety of our vessels affected.

“The Steamship Authority takes the security of its information technology systems seriously and we are actively working with third-party cybersecurity forensic investigators, as well as law enforcement, to determine the full nature and scope of the event. As part of our analysis, we have undertaken a comprehensive review of our systems and implemented additional safeguards. These new safeguards have been implemented alongside the already robust protocols that allowed the Authority to quickly recover from this incident. At this time, most of our key customer functions have been fully and safely restored. Reservations can be made or changed on our website, via phone or at a terminal and credit cards may now be used at all locations. 

“This incident was a criminal act, and we continue to work with law enforcement as part of the ongoing investigation. Although that investigation is ongoing, we do want to our customers and the public to know that the Steamship Authority did not pay a ransom or engage with the cybercriminals. We continue to refer all inquiries related to the details of this ongoing investigation to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

“The Steamship Authority is grateful for the ongoing support that we have received from local, state and federal agencies, including law enforcement. We are also grateful to all of our employees, especially those in our Information Technology Department and those working on the front lines at our terminals, in our reservation office, on our buses and on our vessels, as well as office and accounting staff. Their hard work and diligence was essential to implementing our business continuity plan and bringing our systems back online. And finally, I wish to thank our customers for their patience and understanding during this very difficult time."

June 14, 2021 updates

• Multiride cards (the Lifeline and Ferry Pass cards) cannot be purchsed or reloaded at this time.
• The Reservation Office hours have returned to their normal schedule of 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. 
• We are waiving change and cancellation fees today. Starting Tuesdsay, June 15, 2021, our normal cancellation and change policies will resume effect. Those policies may be found here: Change, Cancelation and Refund Policies.
• Standby camera images are not currently updating.

June 12, 2021 – The Steamship Authority is pleased to announce that its website, www.steamshipauthority.com, is now running and customers are able to book reservations for vehicle travel and fast-ferry travel online.

Customers can also call our Mashpee Reservation Office at 508-477-8600 to book travel, or do so in person at one of our five terminals. All restrictions on the time frame in which customers can book reservations are now lifted, meaning customers can book for any point through October 18, 2021, which is the end of the late summer schedule.

The Reservation Office has extended its hours to 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. through Sunday to better assist our customers.

Other important updates include:

• Reservation confirmation emails may be intermittent.  
• Multiride cards (the Lifeline and Ferry Pass cards) cannot be reloaded at this time.
• All reservations that were made prior to the June 2, 2021, ransomware incident are being honored. Customers who had booked prior to that date do not need to rebook their reservations. 
• Waitlist requests for travel from July 1, 2021, are now being processed. Waitlist requests for travel before July 1, 2021, will be processed in the near future. All waitlist requests remain intact and customers do not need to recreate them, and if their request is honored they will be notified by email or text.
• Credit card access is now available at terminals and parking lots.
• The opening date for fall reservations, which covers travel between October 19, 2021, and January 4, 2022, has been delayed for two weeks until Monday, June 28, 2021.

The Steamship Authority is continuing to work with our team internally, as well as with local, state, and federal officials externally, to address the June 2, 2021, ransomware incident. Our investigation into this incident is ongoing, and with the assistance of third-party cybersecurity and forensic investigators we are working to determine the full nature and scope of the event. We will continue to provide updates as appropriate.

Thank you to our customers for their patience as we have worked to restore access to our reservations systems, and a special thank you to our employees for all of their hard work.