Letter: Island communities deserve better ferry management from state

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The Maine Department of Transportation provides transportation of private autos, walk-on passengers and commercial vehicles to Maine’s islands. As a native of Vinalhaven, I’ve used this service many times. My community relies on our ferries to connect us to the mainland.

I believe our service has never been more disrupted than it is today by short staffing, safety issues and poor management. The Department of Transportation’s apparent unwillingness to work with our town sends the message: It’s “Vinalhaven last.” My fellow islanders and I have turned to our ferry advisory board many times, but little has been done by the state to fix major issues.

The majority of ferries have a form of “exclusivity” to the islands they serve. It is difficult to find island-based crew, and therefore important to have ferries that require fewer crew members (per Coast Guard regulations). The state has maneuvered Vinalhaven’s boats to suit other ports seemingly without regard for our island’s infrastructure. A back-up boat can potentially take five to 11 fewer cars and can disrupt supply shipments because semi-trucks can’t easily fit on a backup ferry.

My opinion is we need better management from the state, better treatment of ferry service employees in order to attract and retain crew members, and an island-based ferry, the Captain Richard Spear, should remain Vinalhaven’s boat exclusively. It is my hope that with this letter our voices will be heard publicly, because our efforts to communicate with the state have gone nowhere, with the usual empty promises and canceled boats.

Brandon Osgood

Vinalhaven