Avast! New Freight Ferry Sails Off Cape Cod, Bound For Nantucket

HYANNIS, MA — A new ferry is plying the popular passage between Hyannis and Nantucket.

The M/V Monomoy, a 245-foot freight vessel operated by the Steamship Authority, began service last week.

Monomoy can carry up to 50 automobiles, and also has room for about 80 passengers. It launched from Hyannis at 11:30 a.m. on April 17 with 10 cars, seven trucks and a school bus, a statement said.

After its arrival in Nantucket around 2:45 p.m., Steamship Authority Alex Kryska formally christened the vessel.

The ferry is one of three bought by the quasi-public agency in 2022. It commissioned sister ships M/V Barnstable and M/V Aquinnah in 2024 and 2025, respectively.

The authority purchased and converted all three through an agreement with the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority that generated $28.1 million in federal funding, the statement said.

“The M/V Monomoy entering service is an important milestone for the Steamship Authority’s four-year project to modernize its fleet with the purchase of these three vessels,” said Kryska.

“Having three like-new vessels with an identical design provides significant operational upgrades for our operation, including the interchangeability of spare parts and commonalities in crew training.”

The ships came from an offshore transport company based in Louisiana, and required redesign that was done in Alabama. Monomoy had to be shortened and has been in Massachusetts since January, undergoing further fit-outs by the authority.

The agency is formally known as the Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority, and carried nearly 3 million passengers and 674,000 vehicles last year.

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