Project

The Harbormaster’s Office provides maritime law enforcement and public safety for over 100 miles of coastal shoreline. Hyannis is home to two maritime transportation security act (MSTA) regulated facilities; a federal channel, private/public marinas; two yacht clubs and over 500 hundred permitted moorings.

Hyannis Harbor is arguably the busiest harbor on Cape
Cod and the Islands. It is home to the Woods Hole, Martha
’s Vineyard, and Nantucket Steamship Authority. The
Steamship Authority’s vessels carry approximately
117,000 cars and trucks, and 660,500 passengers annually.
Hyannis is also home to Hy-Line Cruise’s whose vessels carry approximately 800,000 passengers annually. Each vessel has a capacity to range from 200-799 passengers. Hyannis is also home to over a dozen inspected passenger vessels, which offer sightseeing, deep-sea fishing and children’s adventures. Additionally, Hyannis Harbor routinely hosts foreign-flagged yachts/vessel from around the world.

Barnstable Police Department is the control agency for the Cape Cod Regional Law Enforcement Council SWAT Team. This team is made up of multiple police officers and first responders. They would respond to any active shooter, improvised explosive device (IED) and weapons of mass destruction event in the harbor, town, or region. This new vessel could provide an additional asset to the Barnstable Police in the event of one of those emergences. We will be partnering with the Barnstable Police to ensure they are aware of the vessel capabilities.

The Village of Hyannis is home to the Barnstable Municipal Airport. Flight paths of the majority of flights departing from Hyannis fall or entering Hyannis are over the Town’s waterways. Accidents at sea involving aircrafts have happened in the past and required extensive resources to collect data and provide security on the water.

This new vessel would provide local patrols along our coastline (Nantucket Sound) including Centerville Harbor, Three Bays, Prince Cove, East Bay, and Centerville River.

In 2020, Harbormaster staff responded to 430 calls for service Town wide. Call for service included vessels in distress, medical events at sea, persons in distress, persons in the water, etc. Providing adequate response to such incidents requires a vessel that can respond to all types of incidents and perform in all types of weather conditions.

It’s important to note that Hyannis Harbor is located on the edge of the area of responsibility of Station Chatham and Station Woods Hole Coast Guard Facilities. Thus, we have no readily available Coast Guard presence. Nor do we have any State or Environmental Police presence within close proximity to Hyannis Harbor on regular basis. Generally, most of the maritime public safety falls to the Town of Barnstable, Barnstable Police, and its five Fire Districts.

To be funded by $310,000 of the March 2022 Bonds - 0.59% of the 2021 Capital Budget