Heavy lift ship BBC Fuji came down the North River Thursday evening, heading for sea and signaling Saudi Arabia as her next port of call after leaving Albany early in the morning. Her destination and the fact that AIS reported draft increased a bit while moored in Albany suggests she may have loaded electrical generating equipment manufactured by GE Vernova in Schenectady for export.

A March report from Albany’s Center for Economic growth indicates that Saudi Arabia was the lead destination for high-tech equipment exports from the port in 2025 and that high-tech machinery exports reached a 7-year high that year. This followed significant investment by GE Vernova in new capacity and a deal to sell gas turbines to Saudi Arabia which, the report notes, are commonly paired with hydrogen-cooled generators made in Schenectady. The Hudson River marine highway helps manufacturers based upstate access international markets without having to transport larger loads through the congested Port of NY/NJ.