The Mills administration plans to spend more than $700,000 to hire six additional workers to address staffing shortages at the Maine State Ferry Service.
In recent months, the Maine State Ferry Service has been forced to cancel multiple trips between Rockland and Vinalhaven because it didn't have the minimum number of crew members to meet federal requirements. Ferry service to other islands has also been disrupted because of staffing and maintenance challenges.
On June 27, Maine Department of Transportation Commissioner Bruce Van Note signed a financial order transferring roughly $736,000 to cover the costs of hiring two seamen, one engineer and three ferry captains. According to DOT spokesman Paul Merrill, the three ferry captains will have a new classification to operate 100-ton ferries rather than the current requirement of a license to operate a 500-ton ferry. Merrill said those individuals will be able to operate three of the ferry service’s current vessels while creating a potential pathway for seamen to transition up to captain level.
The $736,000 appropriation is in addition to a $250,000 contract that Maine State Ferry Service recently signed with an Indiana-based staffing agency, Seaward Services, Inc., to fill additional, temporary staffing shortages. The Maine State Ferry Service is currently advertising for six vacant positions in Rockland.
