Concrete Bumper At Steamboat Wharf Damaged By Incoming Ferry

A concrete bumper at the north slip of Steamboat Wharf suffered damage after being struck by the incoming M/V Woods Hole ferry Wednesday night.

Several passengers aboard the vessel reported being jolted in their seats as the Woods Hole was docking at the end of the trip from Hyannis. There was no wind at the time of the incident. By Thursday morning, it was clear the structure had lost a section of concrete, had rebar sticking out, and was leaning off-kilter.

This was the second time one of the large bumpers, known as dolphins, has been impacted by a ferry and damaged in the last year and a half. The dolphins are designed to absorb impacts from Steamship Authority vessels while they are docking, but damage like what happened on Wednesday is rare.

"When the M/V Woods Hole was docking for its last trip into Nantucket last night at about 10 p.m., SSA personnel noticed there appeared to be signs of damage to one of the dolphins." Steamship Authority communications director Sean Driscoll told the Current on Thursday. "Upon further inspection, staff discovered part of the concrete had broken away and rebar was showing. While there had been a bump of the dolphin during docking by the ship, it wasn’t particularly forceful, so it’s unclear if that’s what caused the damage. There is no damage to the ship and the slip is still operational, and we’re investigating the damage and steps to remediate it."

Passengers, however, described it as a forceful impact.

"My mother was on that boat and said she and the other passengers were thrown from their seats to the ground while sitting up inside," said Maggie Cashman. "It definitely wasn’t a 'bump'."

Another passenger told the Current "it hit pretty hard. It felt like we wre in a fender bender. I'm glad my four-year-old was already in her car seat. I'd consider it more than just a typical bump."

Island resident Greg Creedon said he witnessed the incident from Children's Beach.

"The ship came in at a weird angle, backed into the harbor a ways and tried again," Creedon said. "Looked so sloppy, though maybe they had a steering issue. No wind."

In April 2025, a departing ferry impacted one of the dolphins at the north slip of Steamboat Wharf, causing the structure to collapse into the harbor. The 148,000-pound concrete dolphin caused a closure of the north slip, and had to be retrieved from the seafloor by a massive crane. The entire operation cost the Steamship Authority more than $400,000.

The structure is one of eleven at Steamboat Wharf that were installed decades ago to assist the Steamship Authority vessels while docking.