Artificial Island Needed for Proposed LNG Terminal
According to Asbury Park Press, an investment group proposing to build an offshore liquid natural gas terminal 19 miles east of Sea Bright is preparing specific design details for the artificial island, and may make more plans public in the coming weeks. Safe Harbor and its parent company, the Atlantic Sea Island Group, propose building a 53-to-65-acre island in about 60 feet of water 13.5 miles south of Long Beach, N.Y. The island would be an offloading and storage terminal for liquified natural gas tankers, which would pump out their ultra-cold fuel for processing and delivery via undersea pipeline to the mainland. The company is starting its regulatory applications this spring, and says it could build the site by 2010.
USCG, Police Escort Ferry to Safety
The U.S. Coast Guard and New York Police escorted a NY Waterway ferry to safety in Manhattan after it left the Belford terminal in Middletown and began to take on water during a storm. The U.S. Coast Guard's New York Station received reports that the ferry, named the Peter Weiss, was taking on water over its side near the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge at 7:56 a.m. After the ferry left Belford, winds became stronger, and were steady at 34 knots, with gusts of 50 or more knots at times. The waves in the New York Harbor were between two and four feet. The 149 passengers were ordered to put on life jackets as a safety precaution. The Coast Guard and police met the boat near the bridge, and escorted it to Pier 11, arriving at 8:42 a.m. No injuries were reported. (Source: Asbury Park Press)
SeaStreak For Sale and Closes South Amboy Route
According to an Asbury Park Press report, the parent company of SeaStreak is putting the ferry business up for sale and closing its route between South Amboy and Manhattan. SeaStreak's Monmouth County routes between Highlands and Manhattan and Atlantic Highlands and Manhattan will continue. High fuel costs have hit SeaStreak hard, according to the report. The company is expected to lose $2.7 million this year, including a $1.3 million loss on the South Amboy route. London-based Sea Containers is restructuring its ferries division, which besides SeaStreak, includes ferries in Europe and routes across the English Channel, from England to France. - Asbury Park Press
