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Familiar names
Vane Brothers tug Red Hook, 3,000 HP, came up the North River on Friday with a loaded 50,000 barrel barge heading for the Global Terminal in Albany. Red Hook is New York Harbor based but I rarely see her doing Hudson River work like this, though the name is difficult to look up in my archives given how often I refer to the Red Hook location, the DEP tanker Red Hook and use the word Hook in Sandy Hook or to refer to an anchor so I can’t say for sure when the last time I saw her was. By Sunday evening, the tug is back at the Vane base in….Red Hook!
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The world takes
The heavy lift cargo ship BBC Africa, Antigua-flagged, came up the North River just before sunset on Thursday heading for the Port of Albany. These ships sometimes carry project cargo for delivery up there, but more often of late they are collecting electrical generation and transmission equipment manufactured by GE Vernova in Schenectady for delivery overseas.
Global demand for transformers, generators and wind turbines is running high and GE Vernova has invested to build more capacity in Schenectady, with access to the Hudson River marine highway in Albany providing easy access to the global market.
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Stopping by
Kirby’s Cape Henry/ DBL 103 ATB came up the North River Thursday afternoon to anchor off Guttenberg with the 100,000 barrel barge looking light. We see New York Harbor-based Cape Henry anchoring on the North River from time to time, but I believe she is mainly servicing terminals in New England. This summer, Cape Henry was reported loading an asphalt delivery on the Great Lakes in Canada for delivery in New York Harbor, a rare import job for a US ATB. Kirby Corp is, I believe, the only publicly traded operator of tank barges and ATBs in the U.S. By early Friday, the unit was on the move again, heading for a pier at Bayonne’s IMTT.
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Foliage watch
Marine Highway’s hardworking tug Sarah D was northbound on the North River on Saturday, pushing empty hoppers past Hoboken’s Stevens Institute of Technology. Tree colors have not really turned yet in New York Harbor, despite autumn foliage being well-advanced up north. By Thursday this week, Sarah is back down south distributing stone quarried upstate, currently at a concrete plant dock in Stamford CT.
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Here to help
James D Moran, a 6,000 HP tractor tug, came up the North River Sunday afternoon for an assist job at the Manhattan Cruise Terminal, helping to sail the AIDA Diva as she headed for the Bahamas. As of Wednesday afternoon, James is back at Moran’s Staten Island base awaiting her next job.
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Working New York Harbor
Dann Marine’s Atlantic Coast moved a 35,000 barrel Vane bunkering barge up the North River on Sunday, passing Jersey City and Hoboken and headed for delivery at a cruise ship docked at the Manhattan Cruise Terminal. The 20-year-old 3,000 HP Atlantic Coast is usually based on the Delaware River, I believe, but came up to New York Harbor last week. I last saw her up here in May.
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Regatta weekend
This past weekend Hudson River Community Sailing held their annual regatta on the North River. The regatta raises money to fund youth sailing education programs for school kids in Manhattan and the Bronx.
The kids learn to sail, how to apply STEM in real world scenarios, about river ecology, build wooden boats in the winter and much more. All learn life skills, and some go on to maritime careers with some alums attending SUNY Maritime and other academies. The organization also runs programs for veterans and sailors with a range of disabilities.
I know a sailing race on the Hudson adds complications for commercial traffic traversing the marine highway, so thank you for sharing the river. It is for a good cause.
That’s me! 
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Get out of the rain
B. Franklin Reinauer/RTC 81, a regular on Hudson River routes though most recently having been running up to Boston, was one of several ATBs and tug/barges that came up the North River Friday afternoon ahead of a line of storms. After the storms passed she was on her way to Tremley Point on the Arthur Kill for new cargo.
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Miller Time
Miller’s Launch tug Michael Miller was moving barges at the Gateway Tunnel North River cofferdam worksite on Wednesday. Up above, at the top of the frame, a helicopter is rolling into position to land at the 34th Street Heliport which remains open on a smaller footprint during the Gateway work.
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Downtown
The Morgan Reinauer/RTC 100 ATB, a 4,000 HP tug with a 100,000 barrel barge, was outbound on the North River on Wednesday afternoon with the barge light, heading for the Bayonne IMTT. The unit has been servicing terminals in New Haven and Providence over the past week but came up the North River early Wednesday to anchor for a few hours before heading to load new cargo.
Observations on the Hudson River as it passes through New York City. The section of the Hudson which passes through New York is historically known as the North River, called this by the Dutch to distinguish it from the Delaware River, which they knew as the South River. This stretch of the Hudson is still often referred to as the North River by local mariners today. All photos copyright Daniel Katzive unless otherwise attributed. For more frequent updates, please follow northriverblog on Facebook or Instagram.
