Photo: WBZ NewsRadio
MARTHA’S VINEYARD, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Staffing shortages were blamed for disruptions in ferry service over the weekend.
Steamship Authority was forced to cancel ferry service to and from Martha’s Vineyard starting on Saturday afternoon. In a post on Facebook, the company directed customers to the Reservation Office and blamed a crew shortage for the service disruption.
Steamship Authority said it was able to accommodate all of Saturday’s riders by the end of the day, which meant the ships ended their operational days later than scheduled. The U.S. Coast Guard mandates a rest period for crews, so more cancellations and boarding delays ensued on Sunday.
Many customers took to social media to complain throughout the weekend. According to Steamship Authority, some customers were also verbally abusing employees at the terminals.
“Please remember your patience as you travel today; we have received disturbing reports of verbal abuse directed at our employees, and there is no excuse for that behavior. We understand this is a frustrating situation, but please treat our employees with the same respect you would like to receive,” said Steamship Authority in a Facebook post on Sunday.
WBZ's Jim MacKay (@JimMacKayOnAir) reports.
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