There will be a lot of cameras trained on the old North River this weekend and most will be focused on the naval vessels and tall ships and maybe on the security boats, but hopefully some will also spare attention for our local New York Harbor marine industry workers without whom none of this would be possible. Tugs and tenders have been and will continue to work hard through the weekend, performing ship assists, helping to build docking facilities, delivering boarding barges and fresh water, collecting trash, bunkering, and much more.

On Friday, the SUNY Maritime training ship Empire State arrived on the North River to anchor off Pier 99 while the Maine Maritime Academy’s similar State of Maine vessel took position off Battery Park. These vessels are training future generations of U.S. merchant mariners some of whom will presumably come back to New York Harbor for their careers. After the weekend ceremonies conclude, Empire State will continue up the Hudson to visit Port of Albany, a rare upriver trip for SUNY Maritime.