Ferry Service Expected to Return to Swan Island in Maine

According to an article in the KJ, ferry service between Richmond and Swan Island is expected to resume this weekend, marking the return of a long-standing connection that has been unavailable for the past four years.

State officials are scheduled to announce Thursday that complimentary ferry service will begin operating Saturday and continue on weekends through early September.

The ferry was suspended in 2022 after the U.S. Coast Guard halted operations, saying the vessel had been operating for seven years without documentation showing it had been inspected as a small passenger vessel.  At that time, the Coast Guard said the situation posed a significant boating safety concern and an environmental threat to the port and surrounding navigable waterways.

For decades, the state operated the ferry linking Richmond to Swan Island, located in the Kennebec River at the head of Merrymeeting Bay.

Since service ended, several privately operated transportation options have attempted to provide access to the island with mixed results.

A news conference announcing the return of the ferry is scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday at the Swan Island Pier and Landing in Richmond. Speakers are expected to include state Rep. Sally Cluchey of Bowdoinham and Nate Webb, director of the Wildlife Division at the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

Cluchey has been a leading advocate for restoring the ferry service. She previously introduced legislation creating a working group to study options for bringing the ferry back.

Swan Island is part of the Steve Powell Wildlife Management Area and is home to the former Perkins Township. The island is a popular destination for outdoor recreation, featuring seven miles of trails, 10 Adirondack lean-to campsites, and habitat that attracts migrating waterfowl along the Atlantic Flyway.