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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.

  • Two hundred years of canal

    The Seneca Chief, a replica of the first barge to travel on the Erie Canal from Buffalo to New York Harbor 200 years ago, arrived on the North River at the end here symbolic journey Saturday commerorating the canal’s bicentennial anniversary. She was in tow with the CL Churchill, a 33-foot 1964 vintage tugboat owned by the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum.

    Earlier on the same day, in timing which was perhaps coincidental but also seemed to emphasize the historical continuity between the canal’s origins and its present day relevance, the brand new canal tugboat Rome passed up the North River. Rome is the second of three new boats manufactured by Blount Boats in Rhode Island for the New York State Canal Corporation and was heading for delivery to its new owners up north. Rome passed Seneca Chief and the Churchill off Sleepy Hollow—perhaps there was a salute.

    For more photos of the Seneca Chief’s arrival, see Will Van Dorp’s latest post from the Canal Society’s Samuel Center which features some shots I shared with him.

    ©2024 Daniel Katzive
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  • Heavy machinery

    The cargo ship BBC Sebastopol headed up the North River Thursday morning heading for the Port of Albany. These BBC ships are often heading north to load heavy equipment manufactured upstate for export, including products made by GE/GE Vernova in Schenectady but these also sometimes deliver heavy materials for projects being staged up north like the Champlain Hudson Power Express.

    While Sebastopol was heading upriver, her fleet mate BBC Manila was at the dock in Albany loading a heavy export cargo. Sebastopol proceeded to Hyde Park anchorage where she is still waiting Saturday morning while Manila dropped lines at midday Friday and is currently en route to Charleston, her next port of call, after passing Manhattan well after dark on Friday night.

    ©2024 Daniel Katzive
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  • Just a little more sugar please

    Dann Marine’s Ruby Coast had the dry bulk barge Knot Refined, the newest and largest of ASR’s fleet of sugar carriers, en route to Yonkers and loaded with Florida crystals. This could be the last or one of the last times we see this barge on the North River as the Yonkers refinery is slated to close by the end of this year.

    Knot Refined will remain busy but the sugar will be heading for Baltimore where capacity has been increased to help cover the output of the Yonkers plant. Knot Refined, which got its handle in an employee naming contest, made its first voyage here in May 2022, as covered in North River Notes at the time.

    ©2024 Daniel Katzive

  • Following summer

    The tractor tug Johnathan C. Moran was working at the Manhattan Cruise Terminal on Tuesday, assisting the relatively small 465-foot cruise ship Le Boreal leaving the piers. Le Boreal called in New York after cruising in Arctic and Canadian waters and is now en route to its southern hemisphere cruising season running trips from Argentina to Antarctica. Thursday morning sees Johnathan C back at work in the harbor, currently escorting a 1,000 foot container ship through the Lower Bay as it heads back to sea. In the photo, the historic 142-year-old Weehawken Water Tower is visible to the left of Le Boreal’s stacks on top of the Bergen Hill.

    ©2024 Daniel Katzive

  • Vane in train

    Vane Brothers tug/barge combinations have been busy on the North River this past week, either heading for Albany with cargo, returning light, or just enjoying sheltered anchorage amid heavy wind conditions. On Tuesday just after sunrise, Pocomoke had light tank barge DS-56 on the hip returning from Albany and heading for the Vane base in Gowanus Bay amid still elevated but diminishing winds. Later the same morning, colleagues on Choptank were in the notch behind another Vane Barge loaded up and headed for the Buckeye terminal in Albany. The final photo shows Vane tugs Patuxent and Philadelphia with barges and the Charleston ATB all at anchor off Riverdale Sunday afternoon ahead of gale warnings went into effect later in the evening.

    ©2024 Daniel Katzive
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  • Salt goes up, stone comes down

    Carver Companies’ Daisy Mae headed north on Friday, exiting the north end of the North River with hoppers loaded with what I believe was salt lightered off a bulker in from Egypt anchored in the Upper Bay. On her return trip two days later, she brought back a stone cargo, heading for the Bay Ridge Flats. The fall colors were more notable just two days later.

    ©2024 Daniel Katzive
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  • More bulk

    Continuing what has already been a heavy month of foreign flag ship traffic up the North River, the Amis Queen, a 650-foot Panama flag bulker, passed Washington Heights, the Cloisters, and Spuyten Duyvil en route to the Port of Coeymans. The ship was arriving from Italy and cargo is unknown, though another salt delivery or perhaps a scrap metal pick up are among the possibilities.

    ©2024 Daniel Katzive

  • Port Jeff Commuter

    The Vane Brothers Charleston/DS 506 ATB, a 4,200 HP tug paired with a 363 foot tank barge, came up the North River on Wednesday of last week after a run out to Port Jefferson on Long Island Sound, heading for anchorage. After, I believe, loading up and making another run to Port Jeff later in the week, the unit is back at anchor off Riverdale Sunday morning.

    ©2024 Daniel Katzive
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  • Cooking with gas

    It has been busy month for foreign flag cargo vessels on the North River, as already noted in yesterday’s post. These tankers and bulk ships can bring imports from overseas or collect material in Coeymans or Albany for export, but can not move cargo between U.S. ports. On Tuesday, the small Swedish flag products tanker Ramanda arrived, headed for the Buckeye terminal in Albany.

    The 18,000 deadweight ton tanker is notable in that it is a dual fuel vessel, capable of running on natural gas or conventional fuels, something we don’t see all that often on the Hudson, with the LNG tanks clearly visible on deck.

    The tanker was arriving from refinery ports near Montreal, and was either bringing in a Canadian refined products cargo or, perhaps, loading ethanol for export. By this weekend, Ramanda is back at sea heading for Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    ©2024 Daniel Katzive
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  • Export/Import

    Trade wars may be raging but it has been a busy two weeks for foreign-flagged cargo ships coming up the North River bringing imports or collecting exports up north. On Friday afternoon, Diamond Sky, a 625-foot Malta-flagged bulk ship passed the towers of Fort Lee and the Englewood Cliffs where leaves are just starting to turn. They were heading for the Sims Metal dock in Albany where they are probably loading scrap for export, though they may have arrived in New York with salt as the ship originated in Chile.

    ©2024 Daniel Katzive
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