Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority

The Steamship Authority is a quasi-public agency, created by the Massachusetts legislature, that competes with other private ferries but also oversees and licenses their operations. Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority, known to owners of summer homes and year-round residents as the Steamship Authority, provides ferry service from the Massachusetts ports of Woods Hole and Hyannis to the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, off the coast of Massachusetts. Steamshipauthority operates a fleet of nine vessels designed to carry passengers, vehicles, and other cargo. In 2007, it ferried 2.6 million passengers, 450,000 automobiles, and 153,000 trucks.