Will There Be Responsibility For The Collapse Of The SSA North Slip Concrete Dolphin On Nantucket?

To the editor: Was the collapse of the SSA concrete dolphin in Nantucket truly unanticipated? If not, why? If anticipated, who is responsible for failing to perform preventative maintenance, and who should be held accountable?

The initial SSA report was that the dolphin at the SSA Nantucket pier collapsed after being hit by a departing ferry. However, subsequently, the SSA claimed the collapse was not due to the most recent strike but to earlier event/s. The SSA is trying to deflect blame for the collapse to many previous strikes. This is an attempt to claim that collective wear and tear due to many ferry-dolphin contacts was responsible, and therefore, the collapse was not anticipated.

This response typifies the SSA behavior for the entire time Mr. Robert Davis has been SSA's General Manager. Mr. Davis and most of those on the SSA Board think that everything done at and by the SSA has been excellent because all the ideas were their own.

From past SSA performance, we can anticipate absolutely no fallout from the collapse of the dolphin. The SSA will claim it merely served its purpose and must be replaced.

Precisely because they are constantly being hit, a basic operating principle is to inspect the dolphins regularly to ensure they are in good condition and repair or replace them, when necessary, before, not after, they collapse. The current collapse shows that the SSA has not been checking its dolphins, which could have prevented this collapse. Who is responsible for this lack of performing basic operational procedures?

How many other dolphins and other SSA equipment have not been routinely checked for their operating stability and operational life? How many other dolphins are about to collapse?

For years, most people outside of those overseeing and operating the SSA have claimed that the current functioning of the SSA is exceptionally poor, is operated with no transparency, does what it wants, when it wants, is loath to accept any outside input, and blatantly rejects any constructive input for improving its operations. In addition, whenever a serious problem arises, the SSA team huddles together to obfuscate the facts and deflect all blame. The 2017 accident of the SSA's fast ferry crash onto the Hyannisport jetty is only one example.

In response to a recent call to add community members to the SSA Search Committee for a new general Manager to provide greater transparency and the input of different ideas, SSA Board member Robert Jones of Barnstable said this had never been done before and that now is not the time to start. Mr. Jones and his fellow SSA Board members believe the SSA has never faced any problems that the SSA team has not been able to resolve best by themselves, without outside assistance. Therefore, nothing should change.

Performing routine maintenance means replacing anything or person/s who are not fully operational. This includes repairing/replacing the dolphins before they collapse. Routine maintenance also means replacing everyone working in SSA management who is not economically and operationally beneficial to the SSA.

There is more at stake here than the SSA ego. The dangers inherent in poor SSA performance jeopardize the life and limb of all SSA passengers, customers, and SSA personnel. Change is necessary, and it is necessary now.

Damien Kuffler
Woods Hole