Robert Davis, general manager of the Steamship Authority, agreed on Friday to a three-year contract extension at an initial salary of $207,500.

The Steamship Authority freight ferry M/V Gay Head was taken out of service this week after a four-inch crack was discovered above the waterline in the vessel’s aft (rear) hull.

The Oak Bluffs select board discussed diverting ferries in late August to accommodate Beach Road Weekend, but stopped short of endorsing or condemning the idea.

Tisbury safety officials have asked the SSA to divert its 8:30 ferry departure from Oak Buffs to Vineyard Haven for Beach Road Weekend, but the boat line’s board of governors gave a series of thumbs-down to the request.

The Steamship Authority is having trouble hiring enough port engineers to maintain its 10-vessel fleet, while other positions also lack candidates, general manager Robert Davis said this week.

Electric-powered Steamship Authority ferries are a long and very costly way off, according to a marine study by boat line consultants.

The Steamship Authority’s Oak Bluffs ticket office has been closed to the public due to staffing issues related to Covid, the boat line announced Tuesday.

The ferry Nantucket was back in service Friday morning after a week of mechanical breakdowns and shuffling on the Vineyard route.

The Steamship Authority announced Wednesday that it would stop requiring require masks on board ferries or shuttle buses. The announcement follows an update from the U.S. Coast Guard.

Three of the Steamship Authority’s four freight ferries — the Gay Head, Katama and Sankaty — will need to be replaced within the next three to five years, a marine survey has found.