Category: Uncategorized
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Primavera

Norwegian Cruiseline’s Prima, launched last summer, arrived on the North River for the first time this year on Tuesday on a deadhead run from Port Canveral. Prima called here in October of last year and ran a few cruises from Pier 88 before heading south to Florida for the winter. She loaded passengers and headed…
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Light Sunday

Traffic was light on the North River on Sunday after the Saturday rush. A trio of Reinauer ATBs occupied the anchorages at sunrise, while several tugs with barges were also anchored off Yonkers. Warming temperatures made it a good opportunity to try out the newly reopened North Walkway over the GWB, which allows for a…
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Weekend traffic

North River anchorages filled up Friday night as a weather system came through Saturday, generating a small craft warning for the Harbor and steady rain. Through traffic was fairly heavy, with product barges heading north, a sugar barge arriving for Yonkers, and a foreign-flagged tanker leaving town after a delivery in Albany.
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Light rain, light traffic

Observed traffic was light on Thursday as light rain settled over the region, with temperatures still pleasant. A bulker came through from Albany, likely having loaded scrap at the Sims Metals dock up there and on the way to Newark to load more before heading overseas.
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Springing ahead

Days continue to start cold, but warm up as the sun rises, and the morning lows also have begun to trend higher. River traffic has seemed rather light, though minerals and oil products continue to move.
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Winter is still with us

North River anchorages filled up again Sunday as 25 knot winds swept the Harbor and temperatures dived on the penultimate day of astronomical winter.
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Oil and sugar as the winter fades
Days continue to start chilly in mid-March and the River remains a source of cold, but by late Saturday the temperatures were climbing into the low 50s and flowers and trees are beginning to bloom. Traffic on the River was fairly light, and recreational boaters remain scarce as their boats are not yet in the…
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Dual Power

Friday saw a small tanker moving up the North River, Albany bound and notable for a number of reasons: 1) this is the second oil products tanker from Northern Europe to come through in two days, but the first two such cargos this year;2) the Mia Desgagnes is a dual LNG/oil powered ship, the first…
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Clearing up and clearing out

The North River anchorages cleared out Thursday as winds abated and temperatures climbed. The highlight of the day in terms of traffic was a foreign flagged tanker heading north for Albany, arriving from Europe and likely carrying a cargo of refined products, the first presumed European products cargo observed by NRN this year.
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Beware the Ides

Skies cleared Wednesday but the winds remained elevated, gusting above 40 knots with gale warnings in effect all day. Tanker barges were moving around the River but through cargo seemed rather light.
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Mid-March Nor’easter

Storms have rolled through the New York area as we reach the middle of March, with a wintery mix on Friday followed by a nor’easter arriving Monday evening. By Tuesday afternoon, winds had shifted around to the northwest and were gusting above 40 knots, with gale warnings going into effect. Heavy snow accumulated on the…
Daniel Katzive
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Double arrival

Friday kicked off with dual cruise ship arrivals, with Norwegian Getaway and Gem pulling into the North River terminal within minutes of each other. Otherwise traffic was unremarkable, with familiar tugs pushing tanker barges in either direction. Bad weather was on the way, with a mix of rain and snow expected Friday evening.
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Signs of spring?

Thursday again saw typical River traffic and improving weather conditions, with winds abating and temperatures warming. Days start off frigid but struggle to stay cold this time of year as the sun gets closer to the northern hemisphere. Coast Guard Sector New York’s ice season has officially concluded as of Tuesday this week.
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Windy Wednesday with a visitor from afar

Mid-week traffic on the River seemed light and entirely unremarkable after a more interesting start to the week, with the exception of a visiting fast ferry heading to Nyack for service. However, whipping northwest winds limited NRN observation opportunities. A bald eagle was sighted off 73rd Street but, sadly, not photographed.
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You don’t need a weather vane…

A whipping northwest wind made it feel like winter again on Tuesday. Robbins Reef recorded gusts over 40 knots and a small craft warning was in effect for the harbor. River traffic slowed a bit after a frenetic start to the week but tanker barges began to accumulate at the anchorages again. Activity this week…
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Philadelphia Story and the voyage of the Baylander

Wye River arrived on the North River Monday with a loaded looking tank barge on the wire. This towing configuration is not usually seen on the River other than for tugs coming from or heading directly to sea, and, indeed, in this case, Wye River’s AIS showed it arriving from Philadelphia. This is another pattern…
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Working weekend

Saturday evening brought another bulker bringing Spanish gypsum up to the Buchanan wallboard plant, and Sunday saw the tanker Hanfia Lise heading back to sea after delivering a cargo of what was probably Canadian-refined oil products in Albany. Otherwise, traffic seemed light after the flurry of recent days. By the end of the weekend, all…
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Return to work

The sun rose Saturday morning on a crowded North River anchorage, as tug and barge combinations took shelter from the overnight gale conditions. Robbins Reef recorded a gust over 40 knots Friday night, but conditions improved Saturday with clearing skies and reducing winds even as temperatures dropped a bit. Tugs in the River headed out…
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Weather coming

Tanker barges and tugs seem to be accumulating in the North River anchorages ahead of weather coming in Friday night. By sundown, Genesis Vigilant, Adeline Marie, Patrice McCallister, and Dean Reinauer were all anchored south of the Bridge, and Mount St Elias and Kimberly Poling were to the north. Gale warnings and coastal flood warnings…
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Tanker time

A foreign-flagged tanker moved up the River Thursday morning, arriving from Montreal and likely bringing a cargo of refined products from the refinery there. Most oil products move north on US flagged tanker barges pushed by tugs or articulated tug/barge combinations (ATBs), coming from the refineries and pipeline terminals in North Jersey or, sometimes, from…
