New England Steamship Agents

Newsletter

----------------------------------------------------------------

Happy Holidays!!!

Coming Events

January

Offshore Wind Development and Finance Summit

Washington, DC / 23rd-26th

Updates

Arrival/Departure times for gearless vessels.

The Hudson River Pilot Association has expanded their arrival and departure times for gearless vessels as follows.

Transits North of Hyde Park/Norrie Point for vessels of 426 ft. or under, gearless type vessels with unobstructed visibility from the vessels bridge.

North Bound vessels will start up from the Mid River Pilot station at Hyde Perk/Norrie Point two and one half hrs before sunrise for their transit into the upper river.

South Bound Vessels leaving the Port of Albany will depart no later then sunset.

Times for sunrise and sunset are published in the Sandy Hook Pilots Tide book for New York.

Reminder Please remember to add one hour to the tide book time during daylight savings time.

Cape Wind

The latest battle in getting construction for the Cape Wind project has been won. Opponents have attempted to stop construction due to FAA regulations, claiming Towers would propose a hazard for flight patterns. The courts have decided in favor of Cape Wind and the project will move forward. With this recent court action construction is now delayed through the winter months and is projected to begin in the Spring of 2012.

Ballast Water

Recent findings of the US Government, is that imposing state by state Ballast restrictions is unrealistic and is becoming overly difficult for vessel owners to meet compliance. Therefore there is a State by State push to regulate this nationally to IMO standards. Of course the state of New York is battling this proposal. We can only hope that Governor Cuomo will see the light.

Recently the Great Lakes has launched a pilot project taking place aboard American Steamship company's "Indiana Harbor". Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) is pumped into vessel tanks to increase PH to a lethal level for for invasive species. This test project is on going, and will be evaluated in the coming months.

"));