Steamship Vessel Damaged After Hard Docking On Martha's Vineyard

The Steamship Authority's M/V Nantucket was damaged Monday afternoon during a "hard docking" as it arrived at the Oak Bluffs terminal on Martha's Vineyard. 

While there were no injuries reported among the passengers onboard the vessel, the collision with a concrete piling caused a three-inch fracture in the metal seam above the waterline on the ship's interior hull.

By Tuesday morning, the Steamship's maintenance personnel had welded the seam, and after an inspection by the U.S. Coast Guard, the M/V Nantucket was able to resume service on the Vineyard route.

According to a statement from the Steamship released Tuesday, the collision was the result of wind and tidal conditions that caused the vessel’s stern to swing out of position and collide with the concrete piling. There were no injuries among the 121 passengers onboard the vessel, nor any damage to the 44 vehicles it was carrying. 

The Coast Guard allowed the M/V Nantucket to make its return trip to Woods Hole with another load of 45 vehicles and 364 passengers, but upon arriving and unloading the vessel, the U.S. Coast Guard inspected the vessel and determined the repair was necessary

"At no time did the seam damage represent a danger to the passengers or crew," the Steamship said in a statement. "The remainder of the vessel’s trips were canceled for the evening, but all customers were able to be accommodated on other trips."