Two refurbished Steamship Authority ferries soon headed to Cape. Here's what to know.

The first two of three offshore supply vessels purchased by the Woods Hole, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority in 2022 are set to be online and ready for service in early summer, an official with the agency said.

Both the MV Aquinnah and MV Barnstable — which are currently dry-docked in an Alabama shipyard where they are being converted for ferry use — will be refloated March 29 and subsequently available for service sometime in mid-May or mid-June, Sean Driscoll, communications director for the Steamship Authority, told the Times on Thursday.

“There's still another several weeks of work there before they leave for the transit to come up to our Fairhaven facility and before they eventually go into service,” Driscoll said. “So, there is a milestone coming up, but it's a midpoint milestone, not an endpoint milestone.”

What is the Steamship Authority?

The Steamship Authority is a ferry operating service that provides trips to and from Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard for passengers as well as vehicles — from cars to large freight-carrying trucks. The state Legislature created the Steamship Authority in 1960 to provide for “adequate transportation of persons and necessaries of life for the Islands of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard.”

Around 2.9 million passengers used the ferry service in 2022, according to an annual report.

Estimates for cost exceeded

The vessels have undergone a major overhaul since their 2022 purchase, being converted to freight and ferry usage from their previous utility as offshore supply vessels for a Louisiana-based marine transportation company.

In 2023, the Authority revealed it would cost an additional $16.8 million to outfit the three vessels due to a flawed cost estimate provided to the Authority. Board members at the time told the Times that had they known the full extent of the cost, they may have not signed onto the purchase.

Another vessel, the MV Monomoy, will also receive overhaul maintenance and will be online later this year at a time yet to be determined.

What is the scope of the work undertaken?

Mark Amundsen, director of Marine Operations for the Steamship Authority, said in a Tuesday Port Council meeting the two vessels have had new propulsion blades installed, along with bow thrusters, fuel tanks, rudders, an anchor windlass and a whole new stern section. He said the total price for the project has been $28.7 million.

“We have a lot of work to go with the blasting and coating of the exterior hull,” Amundsen said. “But right now, everything is right on target to where it needs to be for the end of the month launching.”

Driscoll said the purpose of converting these new vessels into freight ferries is to replace some of the older, aging ships in the Authority's fleet.

“These are sister ships, and they're more modern and have better maneuverability,” Driscoll said. “This is pretty unprecedented for us to be bringing three boats online within the course of a year, and to have two boats within a matter of weeks is going to be a busy, but exciting time for us.”

Walker Armstrong reports on all things Cape and Islands, primarily focusing on courts, transportation and the Joint Base Cape Cod military base. Contact him at WArmstrong@capecodonline.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jd__walker.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: New Aquinnah, Barnstable ferries nearly ready for Cape. What to know.