Steamship Authority to celebrate commissioning of M/V Aquinnah

FALMOUTH (May 8, 2025) – The Woods Hole, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority will celebrate the commissioning of the freight vessel M/V Aquinnah on Friday, May 16, 2025, with a public ceremony and open house at its Oak Bluffs Terminal followed by an open house at its Woods Hole Terminal.

The on-island ceremony will begin at 9:30 a.m. and is expected to last approximately one hour. The vessel will be available for self-guided tours from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., then it will depart from Oak Bluffs for Woods Hole. The vessel then will be available for public, self-guided tours from approximately 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Woods Hole Terminal before returning to the Authority’s Fairhaven Vessel Maintenance Facility.

The M/V Aquinnah is one of three sister ships purchased by the Authority in 2022 from Hornbeck Offshore Services of Covington, Louisiana. The vessel, along with the M/V Barnstable and M/V Monomoy, was converted for use by the Steamship Authority at Alabama Shipyard in Mobile, Alabama. The purchase and conversion costs were made possible, in part, via an agreement with the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority that yielded $28.1 million in federal funding.

During the M/V Aquinnah conversion project, the vessel was bisected and its midbody removed to reduce its overall length to 245 feet. The vessel is outfitted with two Caterpillar engines, each rated at 2,000 horsepower; two controllable pitch propellers; and three 950 horsepower thrusters to allow for greater maneuverability. The vessel also boasts state-of-the-art radar, communications, and navigation systems, two marine evacuation systems and a rescue boat, and an interior passenger area with seating for approximately 80 passengers. The vessel can carry the equivalent of approximately 50 automobiles per trip.

For additional details on the commissioning ceremony and open houses, visit www.steamshipauthority.com/commissioning.

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Note to editors: media wishing to cover the commissioning ceremony or open houses should RSVP to Sean Driscoll at sdriscoll@steamshipauthority.com no later than noon Thursday, May 15, 2025.

Since 1960, the Woods Hole, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority has served as the transportation lifeline to the islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard year-round. The Steamship Authority is the largest ferry service to the islands and offers the most frequent daily departures for passengers, automobiles, groups and trucks. In 2024, more than 2.9 million passengers and nearly 674,000 vehicles of all sizes were transported to and from the islands. Our U.S. Coast Guard-certified crews are committed to the highest level of safety at sea while our vessels offer comfort and convenience with spacious seating, free Wi-Fi and TV on board.