The Steamship Authority is badly understaffed, suffers from a “penny-pinching” mentality, and is hampered by sparring internal factions, according to a scathing report from consultants tasked with dissecting problems that led to an unprecedented number of service breakdowns this year.

The 140-page report said the agency, which runs ferries to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, was fortunate to have avoided more frequent and severe problems before this year. It warned that failing to address widespread problems could lead to “a repeat of the spate of incidents that instigated this study, or worse.”

“The study team does not consider the casualties of 2018 that led to this investigation to be an anomaly but, rather, the beginning of a trend that is bound to repeat itself if systemic changes are not made,” stated the report, which was released Monday.

By: Boston Globe