Tag: cement
-
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.
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Fuel moves north, cement moves south
Good Friday saw limited traffic on the North River, though some barges were moving early. The Rotterdam remained at Pier 88 for a second day, preparing to sail for Holland where she will join a celebration for the 150-year anniversary of the Holland-America Line. Late in the day, the bulk ship SSI Magnificent came up…
-
Returning light
Traffic on the North River remained heavy Wednesday after a busy Tuesday. Most observed barges were returning empty from deliveries elsewhere, but a foreign flagged tanker did move upriver heading for Albany with refined product from Montreal. This is the fourth presumed foreign oil products cargo observed by NRN over the past month or so,…
-
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.
-
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…
-
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…
-
Weekend warriors
The weekend brought pleasant weather with temperatures in the 40s and occasional periods of gusty wind. River traffic seemed rather light. By the end of the weekend Vane’s Pokamoke and Gracie Reinauer were anchored off the Upper West Side.
-
Weird winter
The weird winter of 2023 continues, with temperatures climbing into the 50s and only the brisk 15 knot southwest winds providing a reminder of the season. A tanker barge cargo of what was most likely ethanol moved south en route to Boston, and stone hoppers were heading north.
-
Typical traffic
Temperatures warmed Thursday but intermittent rain put a damper on things. Traffic was largely typical, dominated by Reinauer ATBs. Cement barge traffic remains heavier than usual, perhaps reflecting the warm weather supporting construction activity through the winter.
-
Mean reversion weekend
The run of unseasonably warm temperatures finally came to an end over the weekend, with the mercury dropping into the 30’s and 40’s. Winds were light though and skies increasingly clear by Sunday. Commercial traffic has been light, with tanker cargos seemingly absent during daylight hours—perhaps the warm temperatures have reduced demand for heating oil…
-
Crisp and cool
Autumn colors and crisp conditions have continued into the weekend, though some rain is expected Sunday. Loaded tankers were heading north, probably mainly carrying heating oil, empty tankers, stone hoppers, and loaded cement barges came south, and leaf tours were also heading north.
-
Rule, Britannia!
The Royal Navy arrived in New York Harbor Sunday, with the flagship aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth steaming in to host an Atlantic Future Forum on board. The carrier was accompanied by the frigate HMS Richmond, which came up the North River to dock at Pier 88 as the carrier anchored in the Upper Bay.…
-
Saturday morning with a barge fire
Beautiful cool fall conditions persisted Saturday, with light winds out of the west punctuated by occasional gusts. Commercial traffic was heavy and a small fire on a paper recycling barge at Pier 99 brought FDNY Marine units to the scene. The fire was quickly extinguished, but five DSNY employees reported minor injuries (see article in…
-
Presidential address
President Biden addressed the UN General Assembly Wednesday, snarling traffic on the East Side and periodically blocking the East River, but North River traffic was fairly typical. USCGC Sturgeon Bay continued to keep a watchful eye on the West Side from its anchorage off 96th Street as motorcades zipped along the Henry Hudson Parkway, and…
-
Perfect Sunday
Sunday brought near perfect conditions, with steady 10 knot breezes from the southwest making for excellent sailing. The cruise terminal was hopping, with three boats at the docks and dredging continuing in between. The tug Sarah Dann joined the dredging operations, having just arrived in New York Harbor this past week escorting the newest Staten…
-
And the days go by…
A clear and slightly cooler week has followed the weekend rain. Busy times on land and shorter days means less chance to get on the River and watch the traffic. Vessels observed in recent days were all North River regulars.
North River Notes 