York Water

New York Water Taxi Takes Delivery

After delivering a new passenger catamaran for New York Water Taxi in June, Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding has delivered her sistership, the Sam Holmes, for shuttle service on New York Harbor. The bright yellow, all-aluminum water taxi measures 72 feet (22 m) long and 27.3 feet (2.3 m) abeam, and draws 4 feet (1.3 m). It is USCG-certified to carry 149 passengers but is limited to only 100 passengers when operating at New York City water taxi docks. The vessel is powered by two U.S. EPA Tier 2-compliant Cummins QSK 19-M diesel engines, each rated at 800 Bhp at 2100 rpm. The engines drive 5-bladed Ni-BR-Al (nickel-bronze-aluminum) Bruntons propellers via Twin Disc MGX 5145SC “Quick Shift” gearboxes and EC-300 control systems to improve the vessel’s maneuverability and safety when bow landing. At 26 knots, the new water taxi has a greater service speed than New York Water Taxi’s current six vessels and, with the same crew size, has twice the passenger capacity. The boat’s carpeted main cabin seats 99 passengers and is entirely accessible for passengers in wheel chairs. The exposed upper deck, behind the wheelhouse, seats 50 passengers and has standing room for another 20. Passengers board and disembark through doors at the bow between the main cabin and foredeck. The foredeck is heated so passengers won’t slip on ice and snow in the winter.

Derecktor Shipyards Premieres Passenger Ferry to NYWT

New York Water Taxi has accepted the delivery of Mickey Murphy - the first in a series of 53-ft. (16.1 m) passenger ferries constructed by Derecktor Shipyards. The bright yellow boats, which sport a black and white checkered trim, they will enhance waterborne transportation for New York City residents, as well as the millions of tourists that visit the major attractions on the West Side, Lower Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn Waterfront each year.

Grand Alliance’s New Service Concept

The Grand Alliance members Hapag-Lloyd, NYK and OOCL are adjusting their service concept on the Trans Pacific during the main season in summer to meet customer requirements even more effectively. The East Coast South (ECS) and East Coast North(ECN) will be reconfigured to offer more diverse loading options and optimal transit time from South, North and Central China. The South China East Coast Express (SCE) will serve Taiwan and South China by calling at Kaohsiung, Shekou, Hong Kong

P&O In Deal To Operate NY/NJ Terminal

UK shipping firm Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Co on Wednesday said it had joined forces with its 50 percent owned P&O Nedlloyd to operate the New York/New Jersey terminal on a 30-year lease. The first phase of development at the Port Newark container terminal in New Jersey, across the water from New York City, which is the largest port on the North American east coast, would cost $150 million. The development program is scheduled to begin in December and be substantially completed by

$42M in Grants for Ferry Docks & Facilities

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced more than $42m in grants to improve ferry service and build new docks and facilities in 15 states and Puerto Rico.  Congress authorized the Federal Highway Administration’s Ferry Boat Program was created to fund ferry boat projects that provide critical access to areas that lack other means of transportation where high passenger demand already exists

9/11 Heroes: Corps of Engineers' Boat Crews

Immediately after the second tower of the World Trade Center collapsed Sept. 11, 2001, members of the Corps of Engineers' fleet were underway. Stationed along the Hudson River for a Coast Guard boat-safety class, the Corps’ boats from the Philadelphia and New York districts became taxis to safety for people trying to flee the scene. “Everyone volunteered to help. Without a second thought, they placed themselves on duty,” said Joe Meyers from the USACE’s New York district.

Great Lakes Windfarm Project Shelved

A new state blueprint presents a preference to focus wind farm developments off the Rockaways, in New York City, not the Lakes. The Cuomo administration, which last year scuttled as too expensive a plan to construct the nation’s first wind energy farm in the Great Lakes, is putting its offshore focus in an area 15 miles into the Atlantic Ocean off New York City., reports The Buffalo News. Now questions are arising about whether Lake Erie and Lake Ontario will ever be tried

Port of NY/NJ Reports Cargo Increase

The Port of New York and New Jersey saw its container volume grow by a dramatic 13 percent in 2002, sparked by a substantial increase in Asian trade. Port Commerce Director Richard M. Larrabee said the New York-New Jersey port accounted for 59.6 percent of the containerized cargo handled by all North Atlantic ports, and 13.5 percent of all U.S. ports New York Governor George E. Pataki said, “The strength and vitality of the port has clearly given the New York regional economy a needed boost

Waterfront Protection against Global Warming

Rising sea levels and changes in water chemistry in New York Harbor and beyond should trigger a comprehensive planning effort to protect waterfront development from the threat of potential inundation, according to Malcolm G. McLaren of McLaren Engineering Group. “People know about global warming but very little discussion has centered on how to plan for it,” said McLaren, founder, president and CEO of the West Nyack, N.Y.-based firm

XL Group’s Marine Unit Expands Hull Insurance Resources

XL Group plc’s (NYSE: XL) North American Marine business expands its blue water hull risk management capabilities in New York with the addition of Siobhan Coen and Jeff Loechner as senior underwriters and Eileen Fellin as a senior claims consultant.   According to Rich DeSimone, President of XL Group’s North America Marine business, “Siobhan, Jeff and Eileen collectively add nearly six decades of hull underwriting, particularly in blue water hull coverages