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Moving Product
The spell of perfect weather came to an end Thursday, with temperatures rising again, though thankfully winds continued to blow steadily from the south. The second half of the week also has brought some interesting tanker traffic. Wednesday evening saw a Marshall Islands flagged tanker, The Amigo, coming down the river after having likely brought a cargo of oil products from the big refinery in New Brunswick, Canada to Albany. Most oil products head up to Albany on domestic flagged tanker barges, but occasionally we do see a cargo coming in from Canada or even Europe via tanker.
The Amigo on the way back to Canada after delivering oil products in Albany The other interesting move came with one of the newest Reinauer tanker ATBs, the Janice Ann, coming down from Albany fully loaded and heading for Boston. Loaded tanker barges usually are heading north on the river, and cargos heading for Boston are usually loaded on New Jersey’s Chemical Coast along the Arthur Kill. The oil products markets are complex though, and we do not know nearly enough about them to explain everything we see.
Janice Ann Reinauer brings a loaded barge from Albany heading for Boston 
Saint Emilion brought its empty barge down from Albany for a new cargo at KMI Cateret Meanwhile, the Mako weighed anchor late in the day Wednesday and by Thursday morning was heading down the Jersey Shore signaling Baton Rouge as her destination. Early in the day, a pair of tugs belonging to Massachusetts-based Stasinos Marine brought a large crane down from upstate to Weeks Marine’s Bayonne dock, with the Mary Emma pulling and the Eastern Dawn pushing. Mary Emma then seemed to be heading back towards Boston after a stop in Brooklyn
Stasinos Marine brings a large crane down to Bayonne 
Hopper traffic also remained heavy as construction and road repair industries run at full throttle. We have been seeing a lot of Massachusetts-based Stasinos Boats lately, and another one, the Charles James, brought hoppers with some kind of gravel down from Tomkins Cove to the Newark Bay side of Bayonne where a lot of hopper traffic has been going this week. CMT’s Mister Jim was going the other way, brining some kind of fill and rock load and a deck barge back to Coeymans.
Another Stasinos boat bringing gravel from Tomkins Cove to Bayonne 
CMT’s Mister Jim heading for home with a hopper full of fill and a deck barge, passing the Galaxy Apartments in West New York 
The Army Corp’s Hayward was on patrol as usual 
…as was a 35’ NYPD launch 
The DEP’s Red Hook was hauling sludge from the North River plant to Hunts Point for dewatering in the afternoon haze 
A pleasant looking pleasure craft passed by in the morning 
A double-crested cormorant aired out its wings in the cool morning air 
Geese squadrons were flying low under the radar at Pier i 
A mother mallard with a late-summer brood didn’t mind the flotsam and jetsam 
A kayaker persisted through brutal afternoon heat ©2024 Daniel Katzive Uncategorized -
Summer research
Another very pleasant day, with southerly winds building into afternoon and setting up some good sailing. Commercial traffic on the River seemed rather light after yesterday’s flood of hoppers and empty tanker ATBs, though by the end of the day there were a number of loaded tankers heading north. Kirby Corp’s tug Mako remains anchored off 72nd Street, now entering the realm of an extended stay as she has been there since Friday, though she did briefly visit the Upper Bay with her barge on Monday.
One interesting vessel that did pass by early was the research vessel Blue Sea. Blue Sea is apparently owned by the Marine Academy of Science and Technology, a magnet high school on Sandy Hook specializing in marine technology and science which sounds pretty great. The Blue Sea is based near the school, at the Sandy Hook Coast Guard station and is used for practical training. On this voyage though, the boat’s AIS signal says it went up to the North River Shipyard in Nayak, so perhaps the goal today was simply maintenance.
MAST High School’s Blue Sea heading for the North River Shipyard in Nayak 
NY Waterway’s Englewood ferry passing the anchored Mako/Penn 81 ATB 
DEP’s Red Hook sludge tanker heading for the North River treatment plant in the morning… 
…followed by Rockaway in the afternoon. Red Hook is one of the older DEP tankers built in 2008 (not as old as the 1974 vintage North River). Rockaway is one of three newer boats built in 2014 and designed without the upswept oceangoing bow, consistent with these boats remaining in waters adjoining the harbor rather than dumping sludge at sea as in the old days. 
CMT’s Helen, with her old Vane paint finally replaced, brought an empty hopper down to Newark from Coeymans backwards and on the hip 
The Army Corp’s Gelberman, making smoke and about 11 knots with the flood, passing the bow of Mako’s Penn 81 barge 
The Durham, a small tug working for Ken’s Marine Services of Bayonne, was bringing a hopper with some kind of gravel down from Haverstraw Bay, a similar route as taken by Brinn Courtney on Tuesday 
Evelyn Cutler passing Hudson Yards with a barge loaded in Cataret 
And passing Riverside Park South and Riverside Boulevard 
Reinauer’s Hagerty Girls and Boston Marine’s Quenames with loaded barges heading north 
A J80 sailboat tacks upwind A great blue heron, somewhat unusual on the River, was standing on the pilings of the old NY Central 69th Street transfer bridge in the morning -
Perfect Tuesday for pushing rock
Cooler air, lower humidity but still with the same steady breeze out of the southwest made for perfect conditions on Tuesday. River traffic was fairly heavy with a lot of rock and gravel heading south. The Mako remained anchored off 72nd Street, going on four days, but perhaps her brief visit to the Upper Bay on Monday reset the clock on the Coast Guard’s 96 hour limit for the anchorage. Josephine was also anchored on the River early but headed for the Narrows in the afternoon.
Josephine anchored in the morning, with Buchanan12 visible in the distance pushing hoppers of crushed dolomite rock 
Sarah D of Marine Highway Transportation pushed hoppers probably full of limestone aggregate down from the Peckham Industries quarry in Catskill, heading to the Bay Ridge anchorage 
Brian Courtney brought some type of gravel or aggregate from Haverstraw Bay down to Constable Hook in Bayonne 
Jordan Rose brought an empty tanker barge up to anchor off Yonkers 
Rockaway, one of the newer DEP tankers, passed the Lincoln Tunnel vents on the way to the North River plant 
An NYPD 45’ boat passed Buchanan12 heading south Later, Buchanan12 came back the other way with empties 
Evelyn Cutler, which passed us heading for Yonkers light Monday, apparently retrieved her barge up there and headed for the Upper Bay Tuesday, passing B12 
Buchanan12 also passed Josephine Reinauer on one whistle heading south, with B12 forced towards the New York shore as Mako was also at anchor mid river at that point 
Saint Emilion came through with what looked like a partially loaded barge, heading for Albany 
A quartet of Blackhawks flew down from Stewart Airbase in Newburgh, made several loops around the Statue and headed back north 
The small Insignia cruise ship headed out in the afternoon on a 32-day cruise to La Havre, France via Reykjavik, with assistance from Kirby Moran and an escort from an NYPD 45’er 
Vane Brothers’ Kings Point maneuvered a bunkering barge after refueling the Insignia earlier in the morning 
The long-tenured Muscovy duck remains in residence at the abandoned 79th Street Boat Basin Marina -
Breaking the heat wave
The heat wave of the past few days finally broke on Monday, with cooler air moving in and heavy thunderstorms hitting in the afternoon, knocking sailors and other recreational boats off the River. Commercial traffic was light and not particularly notable. Saint Emilion, Morgan Reinauer, and Mako remained at anchor in the River in the morning, but Saint Emilion left by midday and headed for IMTT in Bayonne. Mako also left at midday, but made a loop down in the Upper Bay and came back to its original spot, still killing time.
Morgan and Saint Emilion at anchor facing the flood tide in the morning 
Mako at anchor in the morning 
Evelyn Cutler was running light up to Yonkers in the morning, having apparently left her barge behind in Staten Island 
CMT’s Mister Jim was pushing sand or salt back to Coeymans by 10am after having made an overnight run down to Brooklyn and a quick turnaround 
A Miller’s Launch tug was pushing a crane barge north The storms had hit by the time Coral Coast came through with an empty cement barge heading to Ravenna from the Lafarge Brooklyn dock 
Heavy weather came through at about 1pm
Source: Weather Undeground
Things were looking ominous over the Battery as a private corporate ferry approached Jersey City Paulus Hook piers
Photo Credit: Daniel Ackman -
Triathalon Sunday
The annual New York City Triathalon was held Sunday, though the running and biking segments were cut in half due to the extreme heat. The swimming segment went off as planned, unlike last year when elevated bacteria caused that leg to be canceled. Swimmers entered the water off a dock at 81st Street and swam a mile upriver with the flood tide to 99th Street, where they transitioned to their bikes.
There were a large number of FDNY and NYPD boats attending, as well as work crews from Miller’s Launch to maneuver the barges used as docks for the swimmers to enter and leave the water. By 10am, the swimmers were out of the water and the escort and work boats were heading home. Temperatures were scorching, approaching 100F, but fortunately there was a steady 10 knot wind out of the southwest, building into the evening and making for nice sailing conditions.
Photos Tweeted by “@nyctriathalon” 
Miller’s Launch Samantha with crane deployed and other small boats after the swim segment had completed 
Boats around the swimming exit point
Source: MarineTraffic
NYPD and FDNY boats leaving the Triathalon swim area 
An Army Corps crane headed north after the event, passing the departing Samantha Miller Harbor Charlie framed by the old NY Central float bridges at 67th Street 
The Mako remained at anchor going on a third day off 72nd Street 
As was the Morgan Reinauer, seen at slack tide being passed by low-flying cormorants 
Saint Emilion brought an empty barge up from Staten Island, passing a paddle boarder and dropping anchor off 102nd Street 
Janice Ann Reinauer returned from Newburgh and headed for the Arthur Kill 
A kayaker got his ride in before the day got too hot 
As did outrigged canoers, passing the Buchanan12 coming down with its usual cargo of crushed stone from Clinton Point 
A motor yacht with unusual sailing apparatus added. Does this really work? 
An immature herring gull off Pier i (thanks ManhattanBirdAlert for ID) 
Smoke rose from a fire at the Sims Metal scrub yard on a pier in Jersey City, visible, behind the Jersey City skyline with the top of Norwegian Joy visible in the foreground 
Norwegian Joy sailed for Bermuda -
Inland seas
A short trip to Cleveland brought an opportunity to observe some marine traffic away from the North River this week. In Flushing Bay next to LaGuardia, we observed two Norfolk Towing tugs operating near the DSNY’s North Shore Marine Transfer Station, where commercial waste is transferred to containers and loaded on barges destined for the Staten Island container terminal or the Waste Management Elizabeth docks, and from there to Covanta’s Newark incinerator or landfills out of state.
Norfolk Towing tugs at the DSNY North Shore transfer station on Flushing Bay In Cleveland, an old lake bulker the William G. Mather has been converted to a museum piece. The Mather once brought iron ore to Cleveland steel mills and was in service from the 1920s until 1980. These lake bulkers are longer and narrower than the ocean going bulkers we see on the North River as they are built to traverse locks, and have their bridges forward.
The William G. Mather at anchor in Cleveland’s North Shore Harbor Also anchored at the harbor were two Federal vessels which look more similar to boats we see on the North River. The 140’ Coast Guard cutter Neah Bay is based in Cleveland and is a sister to the Penobscot Bay and Sturgeon Bay, Bay Class icebreaker tugs which make Bayonne their home and frequently patrol New York Harbor and the Hudson. The Army Corps of Engineers tug Cheraw is based there too.
USCGC Neah Bay and Army Corps’ Cheraw at home in Cleveland 
A Caspian tern over Cleveland, not often seen in the NYC area but common on the Lakes Meanwhile, back on the North River, Saturday morning saw the Mako, the Morgan Reinauer, and the Saint Emilion at anchor with their tanker barges.
Mako swings at anchor as the glassy river starts to ebb Saturday morning 
Kimberly Poling passes the anchored Mako with a loaded barge 
Morgan Reinauer at anchor off 90th Street 
Buchanan12 on its way back to Clinton Point with empty hoppers -
Heat advisory, storm warning
A heat advisory remained in place Thursday, with Manhattan temperatures in the 90s even as steady southern breezes continued to provide a modicum of relief on the water. In the early afternoon, thunderstorms formed over New Jersey and moved across the River, sending recreational boaters scurrying for safety. Commercial traffic was rather light.
Dann Marine’s Ivory Coast (Cote Ivoire?) headed upriver light early in the day, paused for a bit off Yonkers, and then continued north 
DonJon Marine did a recycling run, passing J80 sailboats practicing racing maneuvers 
Kimberly Poling pushed a tanker barge north towards Yonkers 
The Army Corps’ Hayward came south as the approaching storm brought whitecaps to the River 
Source: Weather Underground -
Still cooking
Wednesday brought another day of blazing hot temperatures, though a southerly wind built throughout the day providing some relief on the water. Commercial traffic was rather heavy mid-week, with a number of tanker barges, hoppers and a bulk carrier moving through
The former Bouchard tug Evening Mist came through with hoppers loaded with stone or gravel, arriving from the pier of a former cement plant up in Catskill, New York. We saw this tug, which is owned by Haugland Group, making the same run a few weeks back, and presumably they are using that pier to load stone. Later in the morning, after spending some time off Red Hook, the Evening Mist passed in the other direction, heading back north with empty barges.
Evening Mist brining gravel south early in the day 
And returning with empties later 
The bulker Bay Pearl came through, arriving from Veracruz and heading for Albany or Coeymans 
Pinuccia, owned by a Boston towing company, headed north with a loaded barge from Kinder Morgan in Perth Amboy 
Port Richmond was servicing the North River plant in the morning… 
…and was overtaken by a NY Naval Militia 44’ boat, the same boat we saw coming up the river exactly a week ago 
Later in the morning, the Red Hook, back in service after apparent mechanical problems last week, was doing the honors, passing Pier 66 
A Poling-Cutler tug based Red hook with a light barge 
Some time after one its fleet mates brought a loaded barge north 
The Coast Guard’s Sturgeon Bay icebreaking tug returned from an overnight visit to Poughkeepsie 
The Army Corps’ Gelberman was on patrol 
An airship advertised Shark Week -
The Dog Days of Summer
Scorching heat prevailed Tuesday, with Monday’s storms having done little if anything to cool things down. Fortunately, decent 10+ knot winds out of the southwest provided some relief by the water. River traffic was generally familiar and typical, with one notable exception seen in the skies.
The highlight of the day was to see a 1945 era DC-3, the Esther Mae, passing through heading southwest from Rhode Island after making a loop over Woods Hole Massachusetts. As of 17:30 EDT, the plane was heading southwest over Lancaster, PA.
Mister Jim came through pushing barges full of what was probably salt but possibly sand 
Saint Emilion left its anchorage off Yonkers and headed down to Linden to load new cargo 
Helen came down from Verplanck with what looked like an empty barge on the hip, heading for Long Island Sound 
Mister Jim was on its daily crushed dolomite run, passing the anchored Dean Reinauer 
One of Harbor Charlie’s larger boats was on patrol 
As was FDNY’s Marine 1a boat 
And the Corps of Engineer’s Hayward 
While a Coast Guard Dolphin chopper kept an eye on things from a few hundred feet off the deck 
Jersey City’s marine unit was seen a bit north of its jurisdiction 
The small cruise ship Insignia headed out on another Bermuda run with help from Moran Towing DC-3 Esther Mae heading south down the River 
Esther Mae originated in Rhode Island, looped over Woods Hole, MA and was heading southwest over Lancaster PA as of 17:33.
Photo source: FlightRadar24©2024 Daniel Katzive Uncategorized -
Summer squalls
Lines of thunderstorms moved through the area throughout the day, starting first thing and then recurring at midday and in the afternoon. The sun broke through periodically but humidity remained high. The Haggerty Girls was (were?) anchored in the River in the morning, but headed down to the Upper Bay in the afternoon and was (were) replaced by Nicole Reinauer.
Haggerty Girls at anchor off 96th Street in the morning haze 
And heading for the Upper Bay in the afternoon Dann Marine’s Treasure Coast made a light trip up to Yonkers and back, likely to assist Carolina Coast with some docking operations at the Domino Sugar plant.
Treasure Coast heading for Yonkers 
And on the way back to Brooklyn passing the Naval Academy’s training boats tied up for a visit to Pier 86 and the Growler submarine (part of the museum) Buchanan12 was heading back north to the Clinton Point quarry with empty barges.
Buchanan12 with empty barges heading north Coast Guard cutter Sturgeon Bay, one of two ice breakers based in Bayonne, headed upriver to Haverstraw Bay. The NYC DEP water quality monitoring boat was making a circuit of Manhattan, perhaps checking impact of the recent heavy rains on water conditions.
USCGC Sturgeon Bay heading north 
The NYC DEP’s water quality monitoring boat on patrol 
A Corps of Engineers tug moving through a midday squall 
An NYPD 45’ boat on a morning patrol passing Pier i 
Carnival Magic and its bunkering barge ahead of an evening departure to Bermuda 
And leaving during a break in the storms with help from Jonathan C Moran 
The DEP’s veteran North River tanker servicing the North River plant A helicopter came in for a landing at the 34th Street heliport ahead of a storm moving across from New Jersey
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 