PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 10, 2022
Staffing shortages are forcing Maine’s biggest ferry operators to reduce their services during the summer, a busy time of year when boats carry seasonal visitors as well as year-round islanders. Casco Bay Lines, which operates from the Portland waterfront, is scaling back its scheduled trips to less populated “down bay” islands starting this weekend for the remaining three weeks of the season. The Maine State Ferry Service, which serves the islands in Penobscot Bay, has canceled 59 trips since May 1, about 1.3 percent of its total scheduled trips summer.