M/V Island Home incident - July 8, 2026

UPDATE: The vessel has been cleared by the U.S. Coast Guard to return to Woods Hole, where the SSA's maintenance personnel will perform a damage assessment and any necessary repairs.

All trips will run from the Vineyard Haven Terminal today. No trips will run to or from Oak Bluffs.

The M/V Sankaty will run in place of the M/V Island Home starting with the 1:15 p.m. departure from Woods Hole.

At approximately 9:15 a.m. Wednesday at the Steamship Authority’s Vineyard Haven Terminal, a white minivan drove at a high rate of speed onto the vehicle deck of the M/V Island Home prior to boarding. The vehicle traversed the length of the deck, which was empty at the time, and hit the vessel’s stern loading doors on the far side of the deck. SSA personnel immediately responded to the situation, along with local and state law enforcement and emergency personnel. One individual in the vehicle was taken from the scene by emergency personnel for treatment. No other passengers or crew members were injured.

The minivan has been removed from the vessel. At this time the vessel remains docked at the SSA’s Vineyard Haven Terminal until appropriate inspections can be made, and trips on the M/V Island Home through the noon departure from Vineyard Haven are currently canceled. Additional cancellations may be necessary, so customers should check www.steamshipauthority.com for travel updates.

The SSA will release further information as it becomes available