New York City Economic Development Corporation News

New York City has awarded Hornblower Group a new contract to continue as operator of the NYC Ferry service after the deal was put up for rebid.The 38-vessel NYC Ferry system is the nation's largest passenger-only ferry fleet, serving about 7 million riders annually with six routes that collectively span 70 nautical miles and touch all five city boroughs.Hornblower, which has served as NYC Ferry's operator since the service was launched in 2017, was awarded the new contract from…

Equinor and BP on Thursday announced the launch of a New York-based Offshore Wind Innovation Hub that they say will facilitate partnerships with start-ups that bring new technological solutions to the growing US offshore wind industry"The initiative springs from a new three-year partnership between Equinor, the Urban Future Lab (UFL) at the NY Tandon School of Engineering, and the National Offshore Wind R&D Consortium (NOWRDC), supported by New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC)…

The storied South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SBMT) complex in Brooklyn, N.Y. will be transformed into a major regional hub for offshore wind under a new agreement signed Thursday.Energy companies Equinor and bp said they reached a deal with terminal operator Sustainable South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SSBMT) and New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) to transform the terminal into an offshore wind port for staging and assembling offshore wind technology components for the Empire Wind and Beacon Wind projects and for the growing U.S.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) awarded $9.5 million in grants to eight marine highways projects across the Nation under the America’s Marine Highway Program. The funding supports the enhancement of navigable waterways and expands existing waterborne freight services in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, New York, New Jersey, Oregon, Tennessee, Washington and American Samoa.“This Federal assistance will provide additional options to reduce congestion on the roads and help the surrounding local communities’ and the regions’ economic recovery…

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.

Nearly $5 million in grant funding awarded this week will help enhance existing marine highways serving ports in Louisiana, Virginia, New York and Connecticut, and support the development of new container-on-barge services in Kentucky and Rhode Island.On Wednesday, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao announced $4,872,000 in grants for six projects through the Maritime Administration’s (MARAD) Marine Highway program, works with public and private stakeholders to support the expanded use of navigable waterways to relieve landside congestion…

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.

Ridership on the new NYC Ferry system has far exceeded expectations, serving 5 million passengers since the service was launched in May 2017. Now, in response to the record-breaking demand, new larger-capacity ferries are being built for New York waters, the first of which, Ocean Queen Rockstar, has arrived in New York this week.Ocean Queen Rockstar, the first in a series of six new 350-passenger capacity vessels being built for the NYC Ferry fleet, completed sea trials and journeyed 2,200 nautical miles from builder Metal Shark’s Gulf Coast shipyard to New York Harbor earlier this week.

Plucked from the headlines, the top stories of 2017 were compelling, and each provided impact to the domestic waterfront and in particular – the workboat sector. Follow along as Marine News recaps the highlights, drama and significant events that shaped the past 12 months. When Elaine Chao was sworn in to be the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, the Washington veteran brought a welcome burst of competence to the position. Her wide-ranging experience across the maritime sector and prior service at the U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration, and the Federal Maritime Commission uniquely positions her to understand the critical role that the waterfront plays in the intermodal equation. Soon after taking her chair, she was joined by another familiar face at Marad. Rear Adm.

“2017 may be the global breakout year for ferries,” says Dr. Roberta Weisbrod, Chief Executive of the Worldwide Ferry Safety Association (WFSA). She takes this viewpoint because of the tremendous expansion of ferries in India, Philippines, Thailand, new beginnings in West Africa, and the high profile expansion of the Citywide ferry service in New York City, where the  WFSA’s third conference on International Ferry Safety and Technology conference will be held on May 11-12, 2017.

Innovative boats, unusual collaboration: Hornblower, Horizon, Incat Crowther and Metal Shark team up on one of the most significant newbuilding projects of the year. When New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio earlier this year announced the selection of Hornblower to operate as many as 20 ferries to connect a similar number of New York City neighborhoods, the magnitude of the award immediately outweighed the details of the contract. The vessels, intended to eventually form the backbone of a modern, comfortable and efficient urban ferry fleet, will also be New York City’s first city-wide ferry system in over 100 years. Now on track to launch in 2017, the news service is predicated on the on-time delivery of high tech, newbuild hulls now being constructed on the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Officials from Hornblower and the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) toured the Horizon Shipyard facility Wednesday morning and received an update on construction, which is on schedule, and inspected the first completed citywide ferry superstructure. Completion of the superstructure marks a significant milestone in what will become New York City’s first citywide ferry service and one of the largest commuter ferry operations in the United States. Phase 1 of Citywide Ferry will launch in summer 2017.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the Citywide Ferry Service is on track to launch in 2017, with the selection of Hornblower, Inc. as its operator. The new service, which will include up to 20 boats and connect 21 New York City eighborhoods for the price of a single subway ride ($2.75) is scheduled to be fully operational by 2018, and is estimated to carry 4.6 million trips per year across six routes. “For the price of a single subway ride, tens-of-thousands of New Yorkers are going to have a new public transit option linking them to jobs…

Oncam Grandeye’s panel discussion at last year's Cruise Ship Miami explored standards for port and cruise ship security & surveillance, discussing, among other topics, the importance of surveillance systems and security technologies in the prevention of crimes at sea and how close cooperation and integrated information sharing between cruise ships and ports contribute to situational awareness and improved security and safety for passengers. This year, the company is hosting another topical discussion on security issues regarding terminals in-port and onboard. This session will look at the challenges of achieving consistency in terminal offerings and how they can most effectively be met.

TEAM Ports & Maritime wins New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) & Turner Construction Corporation contract. The contract is for the design, manufacture, assemble, transport and installation of two HYDRA Passenger Boarding Bridges (PBBs) at the Manhattan Cruise Terminal in New York. The PBBs will provide seamless access for cruise guests from cruise terminal building to NCL’s Breakaway and vice versa. The NCL Breakaway will start turnaround operations in New York as of May 2013.

Construction of the East Coast’s first shore power port facility will move forward toward a 2014 completion following today’s action by the Port Authority’s Board of Commissioners. The project will create 30 jobs and result in $22 million in economic activity. At its monthly meeting, the Board authorized additional funds provided by the Empire State Development Corporation needed to complete the $19.3 million shore power port facility. The project will allow cruise ships serving the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal to plug in to a more environmentally friendly electrical landside power source rather than operating on their diesel generated power while at the dock.

Following the mandates to enhance maritime security throughout the United States, programs were developed to make federal funds available to partially offset the costs being imposed on the private sector. The programs, which started off with great fanfare, are in danger of collapsing due to lack of continued funding by Congress and attempts by the Administration to siphon off monies for other missions. The first monies appropriated by Congress for port security grants were in the Department of Defense and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Recovery from and Response to Terrorist Attacks on the United States Act, 2002 (Pub.L. 107-117, January 10, 2002).

The Port Authority announced today that the agency is seeking proposals for maritime uses at the Red Hook Container Terminal, on Piers 9-11 in Brooklyn, to help determine the future of maritime activity on the Brooklyn waterfront. The Request For Expressions of Interest (RFEI) for the 80-acre terminal grew out of the ongoing Brooklyn Piers 6-12 Alternative Use Study, jointly conducted by the Port Authority and the New York City Economic Development Corporation. Proposals are being sought from businesses that have demonstrated experience operating marine terminal facilities and the financial capacity to undertake the obligations of a lease agreement. The terminal is available for lease for a minimum of five years beginning May 1, 2004. Port Authority Chairman Anthony R.