Category: Uncategorized
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Gypsum delivery
The wallboard plant in Buchanan is one of two receivers of bulk freight on the Hudson in Westchester, the other being the Yonkers Domino refinery. On Friday, a 655’ bulk ship, about as long as any vessel likely to be seen heading up the North River beyond the cruise terminal, arrived with a shipment of…
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Summer doldrums
The heat wave continued in the Northeast, though moderate 7 knot breezes provided some relief. North River traffic saw mostly familiar vessels as we moved through the middle of the week.
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Summer traffic
Tuesday saw the North River anchorages empty out, with all but the Saint Emilion moving on. Reinauer ATBs and CMT tugs were moving product and a bulker headed upriver. There was not yet much sign of impact from flooding up north, though the DEP’s water monitoring vessel was seen on the River, perhaps also checking…
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Post Deluvian
New York Harbor and the North River escaped the worst of yesterday’s heavy rains, but the Hudson Valley was hard hit to the north on Sunday, with severe flooding. The water will flow south this week, extending ebbs, shortening floods, brining all types of debris with it, and, possibly, turning the water brown. There was…
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Stormy weekend
Commercial traffic was very light over the second weekend of July, while intermittent storms kept recreational boaters on their toes. Four tug/barge combinations dropped anchor in the North River, while escorted swimmers moved through Sunday evening despite periods of heavy rain.
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Newark tragedy
Thursday brought another morning of sad maritime news as two Newark firefighters were confirmed to have died in a fire on a ConRo ship in Port Newark loading used cars for export to West Africa. Smoke was not visible from the North River in the morning haze, but the North River based FDNY fireboat 343…
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A grim discovery
Wednesday got off to a sad start on the North River with the discovery of a decomposed body pinned by the ebb tide against A Dock at the Boat Basin Marina, something which is not as unusual as it should be. Police cleared the scene quickly, and life went back to normal, with typical traffic…
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Classic lines
The vessel anchored in the North River on July 4 after arriving from Fort Lauderdale is not your typical super yacht as often seen in these waters during the summer months. The luxury motor yacht Haida 1929 was launched in 1929. According to articles in yachting magazines, the vessel was built for American yeast tycoon…
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Cement dynamics
Cement usually moves south on the North River, coming down by specially designed barge from the Lafarge plant in Ravenna, New York for delivery to terminals in Bayonne, Queens and out in New England. Occasionally, though, imported cement comes north on foreign flagged bulk ships heading for Catskill, NY. The old Lehigh Cement plant there…
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Invasion day
Saturday brought the annual jet ski invasion, a mass gathering of personal water craft circumnavigating Manhattan in a clockwise direction. Its a great day not to be on the water if you don’t have to be, unless you have a jet ski. Also in town was a 340’ Canadian navy patrol ship, the Harry de…
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Arrivals and departures
Through traffic seemed light on the North River Tuesday, as anchorages began to fill up. Kirby’s Cape Canaveral ATB moved up the River and dropped anchor north of Lincoln Sea, while Kimberly Poling taking up position to the south. The Spanish Navy schooner Juan Seabastian de Elcano departed from Pier 86, heading back for Spain…
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Input and output
The Lafarge cement plant in Ravenna, NY and the Domino Sugar refinery in Yonkers are two important users of the Hudson River marine highway. Though sugar and cement barges are not seen as frequently as the tanker barges and rock scows that are a constant presence, they do pass through quite regularly. Domino uses the…
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Happy Fathers’ Day
Fathers’ Day weekend saw mostly typical traffic, with a heavy recreational component as dads took to the water Sunday in force. A large Dutch-flagged cargo ship heading north Sunday was the most notable traffic observed.
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Helping hands
The work week has passed with typical North River traffic as we move into the final days of astronomical spring. The Poling-Cutler and Reinauer lines continue to move oil products north as usual, while Boston Marine seems like it might perhaps be in the ethanol delivery business as we head into summer driving season based…
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Comings and goings
After the weird air quality conditions of the work week, the weekend was refreshingly normal. Familiar tugs and barges went about their usual business, with oil products moving north and stone coming south, and empties moving in the opposite direction.
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From worse to bad
Smoke cleared Thursday and air quality went from ridiculously bad to just pretty bad. It was enough to keep recreational boaters off the North River, but commercial traffic was typical, with energy products and salt moving north and empties coming south. The Coast Guard Cutter Sanibel dropped lines from Pier 86 and headed for Delaware…
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Orange Wednesday
Weird smoky conditions persisted Wednesday, reducing visibility, delaying flights, ruining air quality and keeping recreational activity off the River. Commercial traffic continued of course, though the haze made photography difficult. The Coast Guard cutter Sanibel remained tied up at Pier 86, while Viking Saturn made a 5pm departure for Iceland, set to work the Reykjavik…
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Smoke on the water
Brisk winds and occasional squalls rolling through did little to clear out the layer of smoke which sat over the North River Tuesday, a product of forest fires up north in Quebec. Commercial traffic was fairly heavy, with the knot of tugs anchored in the North River breaking up leaving only The Beatrice anchored off…
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Sunday visitors
North River anchorages remained crowded Sunday, and several anchored tugs received visits from colleagues on light tugs. Diamond Coast came up the River early running light to pay a call on Chesapeake Coast perhaps to deliver equipment or crew, while Centerline’s Jillian Irene paid a visit to Adeline Marie anchored off 96th Street. In late…
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Unsustainable heat
Twenty-four hours of summer ended in thunderstorms Friday night and dropping temperatures Saturday. North River anchorages filled up for the weekend despite relatively calm conditions in the Harbor. Traffic was light, with a familiar mix of oil products heading north and crushed stone heading south
North River Notes 