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Friendly competition
Sunday brought typical fare, a collection of tanker barges and hoppers pushed by tugs from various competing towing companies. Norwegian Prima arrived at Pier 88 after Epic left for Europe the evening before. The expedition cruise ship Ocean Explorer docked on the south side of the pier.
Boston Marine Transportation’s two tugs have been busy on the North River this week. Quenames was hading for Albany with cargo Sunday 
The evening before, BMT’s other tug, Pinuccia, headed for Newburgh 
Pinuccia returned to the Harbor Sunday afternoon with her light barge made up heads-to-tails on the hip. 
Vane’s Schuylkill returned from Albany with a light barge of its own Sunday and headed straight for Tremley Point on the Arthur Kill 
Dann’s Discovery Coast, with their distinctive wedding cake tower, had a cargo heading north Sunday afternoon 
MHT’s Nathan G cam south with hoppers of stone from the quarry in Hudson, NY, heading for the Bay Ridge Flats 
Stephen Reinauer, first launched in 1970 but substantially modified since then, remained anchored off 72nd Street with RTC 61, at 311’ one of the smaller Reinauer barges 
Cape Fear departed Pier 88 after refueling Norwegian Prima 
The small tanker Lesney Byrd handled the bunkering for the smaller Ocean Explorer. 
Ocean Explorer headed out Sunday evening, destination unknown 
Evelyn Cutler, rarely seen on the North River since Poling-Cutler acquired Marilyn George, was running light heading upstate for unknown reasons. Perhaps Kimberly Poling, currently southbound from Albany, needs assistance. 
The Army Corp’s Driftmaster was on the River Sunday. The stalwart Hayward workboat seems to be still out of service. 
An osprey, not very often seen on the North River, was hovering over Pier i on Sunday -
Ahead of a storm
Saturday saw familiar traffic passing on the North River, with oil product cargos moving north and quarry output moving south. Stephen Reinauer and William J. Fallon both arrived on the River ahead of a line of storms expected to pass through in the evening. Norwegian’s Epic arrived in the morning fog at Pier 88, en route from its winter cruising territory in the Caribbean to its summer grounds in the Mediterranean. Winds were brisk, gusting up to 20 knots out of the northeast.
Vane’s Charleston has been back and forth on the North River all week and was seen Saturday passing the Battery on the way back up to Renssel 
Janice Ann Reinauer was close behind as they passed Battery Park City with a cargo heading for Albany 
Buchanan12 had the usual collection of barges loaded with Clinton Point dolomite heading for the Jersey City flats. 
CMT’s Daisy Mae brought a shipment of sand up from the Delaware River heading for Coeymans 
Cornucopia Majesty seemed to be having some engine issues. She was shadowed closely by a Stanislos tug as she carried passengers on a party run up from Jersey City to around midtown 
William F. Fallon Jr left the Homeport pier in Stapleton and arrived early on the River with the barge Long Island… 
And anchored off 72nd Street 
Stephen Reinauer returned from a Newburgh run and anchored a bit further south. 
Norwegian Epic arrived in the morning fog, transiting from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean for summer 
Vane’s Fort McHenry provided bunkering services ©2024 Daniel Katzive Uncategorized -
Fish on!
There is more than striped bass in the North River. On Friday morning, a regular named Louis caught a nice looking catfish with a waited hook and bunker as bate. Later, a trip off the River to the Rockaways via NYC Ferry provided an opportunity to observe activity in the Upper and Lower Bays.
A catfish emerges 
And is carefully secured 
Cormorants were also busy fishing 
Vane’s Schuylkill was moving north with a cargo early Friday 
Later, Vane colleagues on Charleston, which passed up the North River with a cargo Thursday, was seen in the Lower Bay heading for Perth Amboy after discharging cargo at Buckeye Newburgh 
DonJon’s low slung J. Arnold Witte had a hopper loaded with scrap coming down from Sims Albany to the Sims Jersey City dock 
Another DonJon tug, Meagan Ann, passed Pavonia with a load of waste paper from Pier 99 heading for Staten Island 
Meagan Ann later passed Weehawken light, done for the day perhaps. 
Sound Marine’s diminutive Kenny G towed a deck barge back to the North River Shipyard in Nyack 
Treasure Coast had a light cement barge passing Jersey City en route for Ravenna 
In the Upper Bay, Marjorie B McAllister had the NY Cross Harbor Railroad’s float barge heading back to Jersey City for interchange with CSX or Norfolk Southern. Westbound consists are usually empties and included lumber carriers, covered hoppers for flour and som box cars. 
Norfolk Towing’s Robert Burton was bringing back empty Waste Management municipal waste containers to the Hamilton Avenue Transfer Station on the Gowanus 
Later, Norfolk colleagues on James William were heading for the Southeast Brooklyn transfer station on Gravesend Bay with similar cargo 
In the lower bay, the bulker Thor Mercury was heading for the salt dock in Newark, arriving from Dominican Republic and probably carrying gypsum 
Coast Guard 29 footers guarded the Narrows with machine guns mounted 
Further out, a larger response boat was stationed by the old quarantine grounds. 
MSC’s brand-new 1,000 foot-long Meraviglia is tied up at Red Hook terminal, its new home port. 
Costa Delisioza left the Manhattan terminal heading for Europe just ahead of sundown. Photo credit D. Ackman 
A Sandy Hook Pilot boat was in the Lower Bay 
A Marine Super Stallion helicopter belonging to New Jersey McGuire Air Force Base-based Heavy Helicopter Squadron 772, flew up the River Friday morning ©2024 Daniel Katzive Uncategorized -
Triple arrival
Things got off to a busy start at the Manhattan cruise terminal Thursday morning. After the Viking Octantis departed for the Great Lakes just before midnight, Norwegian Breakaway, Norwegian Dawn, and the Italian ship Costa Deliziosa all arrived in quick succession, stopping in New York in transit to Europe. Vane Brothers and Centerline tugs arrived with bunkering barges, and Moran tugs and Metropolitan Marine’s Pegasus were on hand to assist with docking. By evening, both Breakaway and Dawn had departed, with the former Bermuda and then Southern Europe-bound and the latter turning left for Halifax, then Iceland and the UK. Deliziosa was set to remain until Friday before continuing its transit from Chile to summer cruising grounds in the Mediterranean.
Meanwhile, tanker barge traffic was light, though a foreign flagged tanker did pass through after sundown, heading for sea after seemingly discharging a cargo of Spanish refined products in Rensselaer. A large posse of small FDNY alpha boats congregated near the GWB in the afternoon, more than would be typically seen at an actual fire, and presumably involved in some spring training exercise. The boats then seemed to be running laps around the circumference of Manhattan.
Costa Deliziosa was pulling into the south side of Pier 88 as Norwegian Dawn docked at Pier 90 
Vane’s Cape Fear waited with a bunkering barge 
Vane’s Fort Schuyler and Margaret Moran were on hand to help with bunkering and docking respectively. 
Pegasus was also also hand to help with docking 
Cape Fear attended to Dawn 
Centerline’s Lightning looked after the Cost Deliziosa 
Kimberly Poling came south with a light barge in the morning, passing the green Englewood Cliffs 
In the evening, their Poling-Cutler colleagues on Marilyn George came north with a cargo heading for Albany 
Vane’s Charleston was also heading north with an oil products cargo 
The tanker Blacksmith headed for sea after discharging a cargo in Rensselaer. 
FDNY’s small boats were making laps around Manhattan, presumably for some kind of training purpose. 
A pair of Pave Hawk helicopters, the Air Force search and rescue version of the Black Hawk, made a very low loop up the River flying from the Air National Guard base at Grabowski Airport in West Hampton. -
Need help?
The wing surfer was back on the North River off Riverside Park South for a second day, despite continued high winds. But this time he must have appeared to be having difficulty, because someone called for help on his behalf. The Harbor Patrol boat came up from the cruise terminal and so did Marine 1’s “alpha” boat. At first he seemed to decline any assistance, and the FDNY radioed back to their dispatcher that he was fine, but then he seemed to change his mind, and clambered aboard the NYPD for transport back to his boat house.
Aside from that excitement, activity observed on the River was not particularly notable, with the usual mix of tanker barges and hoppers observed. The small (though still 600’s long) cruise ship Viking Octantis was docked at Pier 88, mid-transit from Fort Lauderdale to summer cruising territory on the Great Lakes.
NYPD and FDNY boats came to check on a wing surfer off Riverside Park South 
After initially declining assistance, he clambered aboard the NYPD boat 
Stephen Reinauer, launched in 1970, came down from Albany with 311’ barge and anchored off 72nd Street for the day 
Genesis Glory anchored for some time off Edgewater with a 367’ barge but then headed for the Upper Bay, passing an NYPD patrol boat 
Buchanan12 made his way north to the Clinton Point quarry with his usual float of light hoppers 
At the end the day, Everly Mist headed north towards the Catskill, NY quarry with hoppers as well 
The pollution response boat New Jersey Responder made a loop up to about Pier 88 and then returned to a dock on the Arthur Kill, going the long way around Staten Island, seemingly just cruising, not responding. 
The Army Corp’s Gelberman made a patrol on the North River. The larger Hayward seems to be back in service after some time on the hard but has not been seen on the River yet. ©2024 Daniel Katzive Uncategorized -
Babysitting
Mid-April traffic remained fairly light, with cement still factoring heavily in the mix of observed cargos. A foreign flagged oil products tanker came through Tuesday morning, arriving from Hamilton, Ontario and signaling Albany. Hamilton is not a refinery port, but the tanker was riding high in the water and its possible it was heading up to load a Canadian-bound ethanol cargo, though it could also be carrying an agricultural product.
Saint Emilion anchored off 72nd Street with a light barge after returning from Albany, but then handed the barge off to Evelyn Cutler on Tuesday and headed for Bayonne. Temperatures were pleasant but winds were brisk, with gusts above 20 knots keeping sailboats off the water on Tuesday. The 79th Street Boat Basin has been in the news lately; see my article in the West Side Rag for the latest details.
The tanker Qikiqtaaluk W arrived from Lake Ontario on Tuesday morning heading for Albany, perhaps to load a cargo there or perhaps carrying an agricultural product 
Coral Coast had another cement cargo coming down from Ravenna NY and heading for Lafarge’s Flushing Bay terminal 
Coral Coast passed Kimberly Poling on two whistles 
Josephine pushed a cargo north in the Monday morning fog 
Kimberly went on to anchor on the River for a few hours before returning to the New Jersey fuel terminals 
By Tuesday evening, Kimberly was heading north again with a cargo bound for Albany 
Saint Emilion also anchored on the North River with a light barge on Monday 
By midday Tuesday, Saint Emilion had headed down to Caddell Dry Dock on the Kill van Kull and Evelyn Cutler had come up to baby sit the barge, making up to it on the hip. Evelyn has not been observed by NRN since February 1. 
The Saint returned before sundown 
And dropped into the notch behind the barge 
Curtis Reinauer came through Tuesday afternoon, returning from Albany and going on to anchor in the Upper Bay 
Norwegian Sun arrived from Portugal, stopping at Pier 88 en route to Florida and from there to her summer sailing grounds off Alaska 
Brant have been in evidence on the River this month 
Keeping the mallards and Canada geese on their toes 
Winds have been brisk out of the the south 
Apparently it was not too windy for one of these things, which may be called a wing ding -
Cooling down
The weekend passed with fairly typical traffic, with cement and possibly ethanol notable cargos as we transition away from heating oil season and head into summer driving. The cruise terminal was also busy, with Norwegian Getaway and Gem in town Saturday and Prima visiting Sunday. After a work week which featured record April temperatures in the 90s, things cooled down for the weekend with storms moving through Saturday night.
Janice Ann Reinauer came down from Albany with a loaded barge, heading for Boston with a stop in Providence. Loaded oil products barges normally head north on the North River but we occasionally see a cargo coming down from Albany and heading for New England which we assume is ethanol. 
More typically, Marilyn George was light coming back from Albany on Saturday. 
One of American Petroleum’s two small tugs, the Stephen B also came down from Albany with a light barge 
Susan Rose headed upriver Sunday, traveling to her usual anchorage in Yonkers, with Norwegian cruise line’s Prima visible at Pier 88 on the right 
Vane’s Fells Point headed for Albany with a cargo after sundown Sunday 
Dann’s Pearl Coast was returning from a New England run with a light cement barge heading for Ravenna 
Marine Highway Transportation’s Nathan G passed the Frying Pan bar on Pier 66 Sunday evening. 
Vane’s Fort Schuyler bunkered Norwegian’s Prima Sunday afternoon 
And later headed back to the harbor 
The small tanker Lesney Byrd also visited Prima, and was seen at the cruise terminal on Saturday as well. Its not clear what role this small tanker is playing in cruise operations as usually the large barges handle refueling. 
By Sunday evening, Prima was heading for Bermuda 
The FDNY Marine Battalion chiefs boat was on the North River Sunday 
As was a Coast Guard 29’ response boat 
Sunday saw the FDNY’s 343 boat on the River 
The hybrid ducks continue to consort with the mallards at the shuttered Boat Basin Marina. 
Brant were observed north of Pier 66 on Sunday 
Kayakers and paddle boarders are taking to the River in increasing numbers as temperatures warm -
Spring training
Summer-like temperatures and longer days are drawing more and more recreational traffic back to the North River. The water remains cold and provides a bit of air conditioning for those on shore, but first responders also seem to be getting more active as they prepare for a busy summer. Thursday saw an FDNY and Newark fireboat on the water, as well as a number of small boats from the Palisades Interstate Parkway Police, the NYPD and NJ State Police. Their activities did not appear coordinated, perhaps simply getting equipment and crews ready for the boating season. Military aircraft were also in evidence, perhaps also taking advantage of calm conditions for training activity. Otherwise commercial traffic was light and typical, with the exception of a 620’ bulker seen heading for Buchanan.
The FDNY’s big 343 boat was anchored for a while off 72nd Street and then drifted back towards their Chelsea base. 
A Newark City fireboat looped up the River, venturing beyond its typical response area. 
A Palisades Interstate Park Police RIB passed the 343 
Followed by one of their Boston Whalers 
This Whaler was also on the River, and could have been NJ State Police or another Parkway Police boat, but could not be positively IDed 
This NJ State Police boat was easier to identify 
As was this 35’ NYPD launch 
Up above, a Coast Guard Dolphin helicopter made one of its regular patrols up from Atlantic City, circled Manhattan and headed home 
More unusually, a pair of Dolphin’s flew up the River in the later afternoon, making several laps around Manhattan and the Statue. They were tracked out of Linden Airport, where USCG has no presence but returned to their AC base after the New York visit. 
A Marine Viper attack helicopter from Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 773 out of McGwire-Dix-Lakehurst flew up the River as well 
Accompanied as usual by one of the unit’s Huey’s running with doors open 
A bit higher up, a Navy Hawkeye E-2D from Carrier Wing One in Oceana, Virginia also passed over us. 
Commercial traffic included the 620 foot bulk ship Thor Mercury heading for the wallboard plant in Buchanan. Thor was coming from Dominican Republic, and probably carrying gypsum or perhaps some other mineral involved in the wallboard manufacturing process as most gypsum ships we see arriving are coming from Garrucha, Spain 
As usual when bulk ships head for the Buchanan plant, a pair of Moran tugs heads up first to be in place to help with docking. 
CMT’s Mister Jim came down from Coeymans with 4 hoppers loaded with stone 
Cement transportation also continues to be quite visible this month, with Coral Coast coming down from Ravenna with a loaded barge and heading for the Lafarge terminals in Flushing and Bayonne. 
Oil products keep moving as usual even as heating oil season ends. Haggerty Girls had a cargo in their 413’ barge heading for North Albany terminal just before sundown Wednesday. 
The next morning, Navigator was pushing a much smaller barge the same direction 
Susan Rose left the Yonkers anchorage and headed for the Upper Bay 
Saint Emilion, seen heading north Sunday evening, returned to the Harbor Thursday afternoon with a light barge 
Curtis Reinauer came down from Albany with a light barge and headed for the Upper Bay 
North River Lobster Company had its first cruise of the season Thursday afternoon, with what looked like a relatively light crowd on board. ©2024 Daniel Katzive Uncategorized -
Seeing double
Both of the Bayonne-based Coast Guard ice breaking tugs were on the North River Wednesday, motoring up to just north of the Bridge were they spent some time at anchor. Otherwise, traffic was light at the mid-week point. Weather conditions continued to be beautiful but the water remains cold.
Penobscot Bay (CG107) and Sturgeon Bay (109) travelled together up to just north of the GWB. These boats play an important role keeping Marine Highway 87 navigable in the winter months, but boat also seem to emit a lot more smoke than commercial tugs. 
Kimberly Poling headed for Albany with a cargo 
As did Vane’s Schuylkill 
Diane B, one of two small tugs belonging to American Petroleum, returned from Buckeye’s Rensselaer terminal with a light barge 
Geese were on the move in the morning ©2024 Daniel Katzive Uncategorized -
Flying through April
The first few days of the new week have seen fairly light traffic during periods of NRN observation. Cement barges continue to be active. Early spring would typically be associated with a pick-up in construction activity consistent with this, though one might have thought the warm winter would dampen the seasonality somewhat. Temperatures continue to climb, making for a pleasant mid-April.
Saint Emilion headed for Albany with cargo Sunday evening 
Josephine’s barge appeared more heavily loaded on a similar route Monday morning 
Janice Ann Reinauer returned from Newburgh with a light barge Monday evening. 
Tuesday morning saw the Pearl Coast heading for New Haven with a load of cement, passing the Alpine Tower and the Palisades 
Mister Jim headed for Coeymans Tuesday afternoon with a raft of hoppers 
Sound Marine’s Kenny G was heading for Nyack with a deck barge, returning to Pier 81 in the afternoon 
DEP tanker Red Hook was servicing the North River plant on Monday 
On Tusday, Port Richmond was doing the honors 
DonJon’s Emily Ann was servicing the DSNY’s Pier 99 facility 
A small tug was helping assemble the docks at the NYC Parks Departments Dyckman Street pier ahead of the spring season.
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.
North River Notes 