Mackinac Island suspends Star Line ferry service through October amid mechanical concerns

Mackinac Island City Council has agreed to have only one of two ferry service groups run trips to and from the popular island from Aug. 19 through Oct. 31.

The council on Wednesday voted to allow the Star Line Mackinac Island Ferry Co. to suspend all of its services amid peak season and have Shepler’s Mackinac Island Ferry conduct all trips during the timeframe as the Star Line fleet faces significant mechanical and operational concerns. Shepler's is expected to run additional trips to aid the flow of people to the island and previously purchased Star Line tickets will be honored by Shepler's.

The two services in charge of shuttling people to and from the island are both owned by the Hoffman Family of Companies as of this summer, and both announced stoppages and changes to services last week.

Speaking to the city council at a special meeting Wednesday, Chris Shepler, CEO of Shepler’s Ferry and president of Star Line, said it’s been hard to make announcements about changes in the fleet services as it depended on what boats were operational and what the conditions were on the water. The council vote gives the fleet a path forward.

The Hoffman group purchased Star Line in June and is led by Florida-based billionaire David Hoffman.

It has invested about $4 million into fixes for Star Line and that number is expected to grow as the company gets new engines, shafts, bearings and more to have a full fleet ready for the 2025 season, said Jenny Gezella, president of Hoffmann Marine, in an interview following the vote.

Most of the Star Line boats were unable to operate consistently due to breakdowns and necessary repairs, leading to regular delays and disruptions in services, said Gezella. Only three of 10 of their boats were operational, and none were high-speed.

“It is impossible to keep these boats in service for the remainder of this season while holding to our high standards of customer service,” she said in a statement. “We anticipate completing repairs by next spring, and we’re confident that we can return most of the boats to regular service in time for the 2025 season.”

Speaking to the Free Press, she added that Hoffman is a family company with no intention to sell their acquisition amid its troubles.

"We are 100% invested in Mackinac Island Ferry Co. and its future. ... We plan to be in this for the long haul," she said.

Along with the temporary suspension of services, the ferry outfits and the council also agreed to stipulations including:

• All tickets already purchased through Star Line will be honored through their expiration.
• All tickets will now be purchased through Shepler’s website or in person, and Star Line web traffic will redirect to Shepler’s.
• All pre-contracted parking for Star Line will be available, but there will be no valet service.
• Shuttles will be available between Star Line parking and Shepler’s Ferry.
• Nothing prevents the use of working Star Line boats

Concerns weren’t just for the many visitors that frequent the island, but the 500-some residents on the island along with the businesses there. The island is car-free and, given its remote nature, daily food and other needs were a subject of questioning. The agreement reached included:

• Small freight items would continue at the same rate for residents and resident groceries will continue to be transported for free.
• Private horses will still be hauled with the past price structure honored.

Some concerns were raised by the council regarding hotel-discounted tickets going forward, and the council sought further information on the issue.

What went wrong

Hoffman Marine knew there were some older boats and some concerns with the old historic main dock on the island before they bought Star Line, but some major concerns arose just before and after the acquisition, said Gezella.

A couple days before the purchase, one boat ran aground and got 19 cracks in the hull. It also spilled contaminated water onto a contained site on land, she said. Gezella said it was mistakenly stated that there was a Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy lawsuit tied to a waste issue but that there was only an investigation into the spill and remediation is expected to be complete by the end of the month.

Another example of the mechanical troubles – a boat got overheated and blew two engines, she said.

A PowerPoint sent by Shepler’s to the council on Monday also cited concerns with the main dock needing significant repairs, the departure of staff and other employees being overworked.

The work on the dock isn’t expected to fully block its use and Gezella pointed to already-present employee concerns unrelated to the sale and seasonal staffing for the departures.

No Star Line jobs will be eliminated, Star Line employees have been invited to apply for jobs at Shepler’s and Shepler’s is hiring to accommodate the increase in guests, Shepler said in the release.

Hoffman Marine and the ferry outfits are now working to figure out plans for after Oct. 31. Gezella said they are committed to having winter service for the island.

She also said her team is committed to making things work overall.

"I know this is a little hump and I know it's scary for people, but we feel 100% confident we can do this and next season it's going to be smooth and we're not going to have all these breakdowns or schedule changes," Gazella said.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Mackinac Island suspends Star Line ferry service through October amid mechanical concerns