Smoke coming from Steamship Authority ferry leads to Hyannis cancellation

Mary Ann Bragg, Cape Cod Times
Updated ·2 min read

Editor's note: This story was updated on June 19, 2023, to include comments from the Hyannis fire department.

HYANNIS — Smoke coming from the bow thruster compartment of the M/V Katama on Monday morning as it approached Hyannis led to the cancellation of at least one Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket and Woods Hole Steamship Authority trip between Nantucket and Hyannis.

The 10:45 a.m. trip from Hyannis to Nantucket was canceled, according to Steamship Authority spokesman Sean Driscoll. As of 1:30 p.m. the vessel's condition was being reviewed and no further cancellations had been made, Driscoll said by email.

As of 2:30 p.m., the U.S. Coast Guard had cleared the vessel for sailing and the 4:15 p.m. departure from Hyannis left as scheduled, according to Driscoll.

The Hyannis fire department was called to the scene as the boat approached Hyannis. No firefighting measures were required, and there were no reported injuries, according to the Steamship Authority.

The smoke condition was contained to the vessel's engine room, and emergency crews were on the scene for approximately 50 minutes, according to a report by Hyannis fire Capt. Ryan Clough, emailed to the Times Monday afternoon. "The cause of the smoke and heat condition appeared to be a mechanical issue related to one of the bow thrusters. There were no reported injuries," the emailed report stated.

The Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket and Woods Hole Steamship Authority vessel Katama navigates the busy Hyannis Inner Harbor as it backs into its slip with a full ship of trucks, in a 2022 photo.
The Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket and Woods Hole Steamship Authority vessel Katama navigates the busy Hyannis Inner Harbor as it backs into its slip with a full ship of trucks, in a 2022 photo.

Crew members on board the M/V Katama discovered the smoke at around 10:30 a.m. as the vessel was completing its morning trip from Nantucket. Crew members immediately initiated firefighting procedures, according to the Steamship Authority. The smoke was coming from the exhaust lagging, or insulation, around the vessel's bow thruster, the agency said. A thruster is equipment that helps move a boat sideways.

The M/V Katama is one of three Steamship Authority vessels that will approach the end of their useful life within the next five years, according to a report by Marine Safety Consultants Inc. The three vessels were built in the early 1980s and mainly transports freight, not passengers.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Smoking insulation on ferry thruster in Hyannis cancels Nantucket trip