On another picture perfect day on Cape Cod, a Steamship Authority ferry bound for Martha's vineyard from Woods Hole left right on time. But as the always-busy summer season picks up, there is worry about staffing shortages.
The organization says it has just enough staff to operate all its ferries, which travel to the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, with limited margin for error.
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"Time is definitely money," Uber driver Francesco Vasaile said.
Vasaile banks on the ferry being right on time, and any delays will cost him.
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"I specifically come down here from Weymouth every spring and summer just to do these trips," Vasaile said.
For those who live on Martha's Vineyard, the ferries that connect the island with Woods Hole are an important lifeline.
Andy Palmer, who lives on the island, has several important ferry trips booked in the next month.
"One of them is fairly critical in terms of meeting an airplane at Logan [Airport], so I am a little concerned that could be an issue," he said Tuesday. "Taking my wife to a surgery on Thursday, and that is also time-sensitive."
The Steamship Authority says any sick calls or unforeseen absences could cause issues.
"It is going to be very tight this summer," Mark Higgins of the Steamship Authority said last week during a council meeting. "We are looking at people going on medical and sickness, we are going to have issues."
He attributed the hiring crunch to lack of mariners and a number of retirements.
For the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce, finding a solution is top of mind.
"It is the number one priority for the chamber, certainly over the last three years, labor supply shortage on the Cape has been acute," said Chamber CEO Paul Niedzwiecki.
Niedzwiecki spent Tuesday meeting with lawmakers at the Massachusetts State House to try to find a solution to build more affordable housing.
"We are dealing, really, with a crisis situation on the labor supply side that is due to the housing market," he added.
The Steamship Authority says it is also working hard to staff up before the busy season.
