Maintenance work at the Island terminal is scheduled to start on Wednesday, meaning the Sankaty ferry that normally makes the first departure from the Island will be berthed in Woods Hole instead of Vineyard Haven. 

The M/V Aquinnah and M/V Barnstable have spent more than nine months at a shipyard in Mobile, Ala., transforming from offshore energy tenders to Steamship Authority freight ferries that can also carry passengers and cars.

The ferry line booked more than 25,000 vehicle reservations Wednesday and did not run into any of the technical issues that have plagued opening day for the general public in the past.

Opening day for summer ferry reservations on the Vineyard route are Wednesday, Feb. 14, beginning at 8 a.m. The Steamship Authority booked about 7,800 transactions on the Nantucket route during its opening day last week.

Tisbury’s select board voted Wednesday to oppose a barging company’s proposal to ship large freight between New Bedford and the Steamship Authority terminal in Vineyard Haven.

The Steamship Authority is tightening its cybersecurity training program and policies around free ferry rides for employees and their families after a recent audit of the ferry line.

The general public will be able to book summer vehicle reservations to the Vineyard on Feb. 14, starting at 8 a.m. – two weeks after the reservations were previously scheduled to open. 

The ferry line announced the indefinite delay last week, saying it had technical challenges Tuesday during the Head Start summer reservation openings for residents on the Vineyard and Nantucket.

The budget allocates nearly $400,000 in 2024 for the hybrid ferry, which many residents and officials have been pushing for in recent years to reduce the ferry line’s emissions in the face of climate change.