East River News

A software flaw combined with the captain’s failure to use back-up controls led to the grounding of a passenger ferry last year in New York City, the National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday.The high-speed passenger ferry Commodore, owned and operated by Seastreak, was transiting northbound on the East River on June 5, 2021, when the catamaran lost primary steering and speed control to both of its port hull water jets and then grounded. One minor injury was reported among the seven crewmembers and 107 passengers on board.

An inmate has died after jumping overboard from a New York City jail barge, the city Department of Correction announced.Police officers pulled Gregory Acevedo from the after after he reportedly climbed a fence at the Vernon C. Bain Center and jumped into the East River on Tuesday. The man was taken to the hospital but was pronounced dead after efforts to revive him were unsuccessful, according to officials.The Vernon C. Bain Center, also known as the Vernon C. Bain Maritime Facility, is a a 625-foot barge built for $161 million at Avondale Shipyard in Louisiana that opened as a jail in 1992.

New Jersey-based marine services company Donjon Marine Co. Inc., has secured a contract to perform maintenance dredging in Flushing Bay and Creek, in Queens, N.Y.Donjon Marine was one of two online bidders for the $23,970,800 contract, which was awarded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' (USACE) New York District. Work is scheduled to be completed by October 31, 2022. The Flushing Creek, also known as Flushing River, is a waterway that flows northward through the borough of Queens in New York City…

When it came time to replace their 50-year-old station vessel New York, the Sandy Hook Pilots Association thought long and hard, weighing their options to determine the best possible solution. They traveled the country, to Houston, San Francisco and up to the Columbia River, and even to Europe—the Elbe River in Germany and Rotterdam in the Netherlands—to ride with other pilots in search of an answer.“We looked at everything from SWATH (small-waterplane-area twin hull) boats to helicopters to big boats in Europe…

A ferry ran aground with 118 passengers and seven crew-members aboard in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Saturday evening.Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector New York command center received a report that the 150-foot Seastreak ferry Commodore ran aground and was taking on water in Bushwick Inlet near the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, at approximately 4:17 p.m.The ferry, which runs routes between New York and New Jersey, lost power and steering and began drifting before striking ground, operator Seastreak said. The vessel was traveling from Highlands, N.J., to East 35th Street in Manhattan.

Authorities are working to track down the source of a recurring mystery sheen emanating from the bank of the East River in Brunswick, Ga.The U.S. Coast Guard said Friday its Marine Safety Unit (MSU) Savannah personnel have been conducting an investigation since February 2019 to identify the source of the sheen across multiple waterfront properties.Hard boom and absorbent materials have been placed around the discharge sites to recover any product that enters the water as the source of the sheen remains unknown at this time. MSU Savannah personnel are coordinating the investigation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Georgia…

A Sandy Hook Pilots Association captain died from injuries suffered during a boarding accident on Wednesday.Capt. Timothy Murray reportedly fell from a pilot ladder while boarding a tanker inbound to the Port of New York & New Jersey at approximately 10:30 p.m., the pilots association said in a statement. Murray was evacuated to a local hospital, where he died from the injuries.The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating the incident.The Sandy Hook Pilot Associations provide pilotage services to vessels entering or departing the Port of New York/New Jersey…

Marine Highways Gain Traction in the Intermodal Supply Chain.In the United States, landside infrastructure is at a crisis point. Congestion at the big hub ports, exacerbated by imperfect intermodal interfaces with surface transport serving cargo hinterlands is at the heart of the matter. As politicians bicker over a possible infrastructure package, the Highway Trust Fund, funded by taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel, has continued its downward journey towards further deficits (now $144 billion). And, where countless U.S.

Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) announced that the Port of Savannah moved a record 4.5 million twenty-foot equivalent container units in the fiscal year that ended June 30, an increase of more than 305,000 TEUs, or 7.3 percent.“Our ports are firing on all cylinders,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “This success is a testament to the men and women who work throughout our entire supply chain and make a difference for Georgia and the nation every day. Because of their commitment, our factories, farms and logistics providers are creating opportunity and prosperity in every corner of our state.”For the first time ever, GPA handled more than half a million container lifts to rail, growing that number by more than 72,000, or 16.6 percent.

Two more routes will be added to New York City's popular new ferry service, connecting millions of New Yorkers to new neighborhoods, growing job centers, housing and more.The new Soundview and Lower East Side routes will be launched later this month, according to the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and NYC Ferry operated by Hornblower.The Soundview Route will launch on August 15, running from the Soundview section of the Bronx (Clason Point Park), to E.90th Street on the Upper East Side, to East 34th Street, ending its run at Wall Street/Pier 11.

The Georgia Ports Authority achieved 14 percent growth in March container volumes, moving 355,208 Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit containers. For the fiscal year to date (July-March), TEU container trade grew by 9 percent, or 255,786 additional units for a total of 3.08 million, a new record for Savannah. "Savannah's continued strength is a reflection of our customers' commitment, Georgia's leadership, and the many dedicated service providers, GPA employees and ILA members who come together every day to achieve great things," said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. "March marked our 17th consecutive month of business expansion thanks, in part…

Terry MacRae founded Hornblower Yachts, LLC (doing business as Hornblower Cruises & Events) in 1980, and serves as Chief Executive Officer, the President and is also its owner. MacRae is the Co-founder of HMS Global Maritime and the American Queen Steamboat Company, and serves as Chief Executive Officer of Alcatraz Cruises, LLC, Statue Cruises, LLC, Hornblower Canada Co., Hornblower Cable Cars, Inc. and HNY Ferry, LLC (doing business as NYC Ferry). He leads one of the largest and fastest growing charter, dining cruise, and ferry operating companies in the nation.

New routes, new challenges and plenty of newbuilding as 2017 gives way to the New Year. A year ago, the maritime industry could be found clinging to the edge of their seats to see what the coming year had in store. 2017 was set to be a telling year and indeed it was. With the elections finalized, the political impact, if any, was sure to be seen. While fuel prices have remained low and continuing to hamper the offshore workboat market, consumer confidence has held high and new vessel construction is strong – particularly in the ferry segment.

In operation for just three months, New York City’s new ferry service has already moved more than a million passengers. The new ferry service, NYC Ferry, commenced in May, serving Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn, with a Bronx connection scheduled for next year. Already, it is off to a great success with very high demand from riders. “We just broke one million rides on @ NYC Ferry….we’re changing the game for more New Yorkers,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted. The first two vessels were delivered only three months ago, and already it has expanded to 14 vessels with more on the way.

NYC Ferry operated by Hornblower is teaming up with the oldest merchant marine academy in the country to deliver a world class training program before a majority of the new NYC Ferry vessels even arrive in New York Harbor. SUNY Maritime College was founded in 1874 as the New York Nautical School, the first school in the nation devoted to training merchant mariners. As part of this new collaboration between NYC Ferry and SUNY Maritime, future captains and crew will have access to SUNY Maritime’s top notch classroom facilities and experienced maritime faculty.

Louisiana-based shipbuilder Metal Shark said it has put the first two passenger vessels for New York's new Citywide Ferry Service on the water, having splashed the new builds at its Franklin, La. shipyard late last week. At 7:30 a.m. on February 24, operators from Berard Transportation began the process of moving the first of two 86' x 26' catamaran-hulled aluminum passenger vessels from Metal Shark's final assembly building to the waiting cranes from H. Brown Crane Service, which hoisted the vessel and placed it into the adjacent Charenton Canal.

The construction of up to 20 new ferries for New York City is arguably the most exciting maritime new construction project in the U.S. this year. Last month we visited with Cameron Clark, Corporate Vice President, Development and Special Projects, Hornblower, the project manager for the new Citywide Ferry by Hornblower fleet, who discussed the challenges and opportunities ahead. Hornblower has, in the span of 36 years, become the force in the U.S. ferry market, with more than 2,000 employees and 20 million passenger trips annually, including a cumulative staff of 700 in the New York City area.

At the annual State of the Port address hosted by the Brunswick-Golden Isles Chamber of Commerce Wednesday, Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Griff Lynch announced a 100-acre expansion of the Colonel's Island auto terminal, and welcomed Logistec's announcement of the completion of 221,000 square feet of wood pellet storage at GPA's East River Terminal. "The additional 100 acres will allow GPA to grow along with our existing customers, and to attract additional carmakers to the nation's second busiest auto port," Lynch said. Twenty of the 100 acres are paved and in use by Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics, while International Auto Processing has leased another 49 acres it will occupy by May 2017.

U.S. Coast Guard crewmembers are scheduled to enforce security zones on the East River near the United Nations Headquarters beginning Friday. The security zones scheduled to begin Sept. 16, and continue until Sept. 25, 2016, include all waters of the East River between East 35th Street and the Queensboro/59th Street Bridge. Zone (1): This zone is always in effect. No Vessels within 175 yards of Manhattan between East 35th Street and the Queensboro/59th Street Bridge in the West Channel of the East River.

At the annual Brunswick State of the Port event Tuesday, Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Curtis Foltz discussed an ambitious capital improvement plan for Brunswick terminals. "In order to ensure efficient processing of cargo, our capacity must remain higher than current demand," Foltz said. Foltz said that over the past decade, the GPA has spent $46.2 million on infrastructure upgrades at the Port of Brunswick. Over the next 10 years, the Authority plans to more than triple that investment, calling for another $152 million in improvements. In one of those projects, the GPA intends to add a fourth berth to serve roll-on/roll-off cargo at Colonel's Island Terminal. The GPA has submitted a permit request to the U.S.

When one thinks of offshore renewable energy, one usually thinks of offshore wind. For the first time progress is being made in the U.S. to develop offshore wind resources. The first steel foundation jacket has been placed in the ocean floor to support the Deepwater Wind project off the coast of Block Island, Rhode Island. (See www.dwwind.com/press/#/1). But recently, progress is also being made in the development of tidal and wave energy resources closer to shore, which are known as marine hydrokinetic or MHK resources.

New York Harbor Tug Boat Captains and Crews, Staten Island Ferry Workers, Circle Line and Other Tourist Boat Crews Vote to Join New Union. New York-area watermen who operate tugboats, dredges, tourist boats and ferries, members of Staten Island-based Local 333, have voted by an overwhelming margin to support a merger between Local 333 and the Maryland-based International Organization of Masters, Mates and Pilots. By a more than 2 to 1 margin, 1,300 New York and New Jersey mariners voted to affiliate with the larger national union of deck officers who serve on ocean-going ships…

GPA records 19.2 percent jump in containers. The Georgia Ports Authority reached an all-time high in container trade in July, moving 293,889 twenty-foot equivalent container units, a 19.2 percent increase over the previous year. “Improved confidence among U.S. retailers, newly added port customers, and shifting cargo from U.S. West to East Coast are all fueling the growing cargo volumes at Georgia’s deepwater ports,” said GPA Executive Director Curtis Foltz. GPA surpassed its previous TEU record set in May by 3,453 units. The July TEU performance was up 47,237 TEUs compared to July 2013.