STATE PILOTAGE SYSTEM OPERATIONS
State pilot operations in the Port of New York/New Jersey Port, the Long
Island-Block Island Sounds, and the Hudson River Districts in 2007 are summarized in the
ship traffic statistics below:
Arrivals and Departures:
New York, Hudson River, & L.I/Block I. Sound
2005 - 13,323
2006 - 13,856
2007- 13,266
*Note: These statistics do not include movement of all public vessels such as Navy, Military Sealift Command, and ocean barge traffic.
Certain
US flag ships under enrollment are not required to take State pilots.
Port of New York/New Jersey:
Traffic Increased/Decreased as follows:
Analysis of 2007 State pilotage ship traffic statistics:
|
Tankers |
-9 ships |
| Passenger Ships |
+5 |
| Ro/Ro Container Vessels |
+4 |
| Vehicle Carrier Vessels |
-7 |
| Net traffic increase |
-3% |
The Port of New York/New Jersey is the busiest seaport in America, the nation’s
largest handler of petroleum products, and the nation’s third largest container
port. Increasingly, larger ships call at the port, carrying ever-larger
quantities of cargo and passengers. These dynamics are anticipated to put a strain on the
capacity of terminals and cargo handling, rail and truck facilities. In
addition, the port’s harbor channels require continuous dredging to not only
maintain channel depths, but to deepen them in order to accommodate the
ever-larger ships and
expansion of our international import-export trade anticipated over the next
decade.
NUMBER OF PILOTS: In 2007 there
were 82 active Sandy Hook pilots serving in the Port of New York/New Jersey.
Original pilot license were issued to Captain David J Grimes (NJ). Four
apprentice pilots were appointed in 2007.
During 2007,
five Sandy Hook pilots
were assigned to the Hudson
River Pilotage District as a result of a cooperative working agreement between
the Hudson River Pilots Association and the Sandy Hook Pilots Association.
Four Sandy Hook Pilots are assigned to the
Connecticut/New York Long Island
Sound – Block Island Sound District joint pilot rotation system.
Three pilots retired in
2007; Captains B.D. Punger, W. J. Ferrie and K.P. Sorensen (NJ). The Board extends its thanks to them for their service.
Click here to view complete list of New York
State Pilots Licensed by the Board of Commissioners
There are currently 7 New York and 8 New
Jersey Sandy Hook Pilot Apprentices assigned to the New York State and US Coast
Guard approved Sandy Hook Pilot Training School based at Edgewater, Staten
Island, under the direction of Training Director John Olthius, Commander, USCG,
(Ret.). Apprentice Pilots also serve as masters and/or navigation watch
officers on the Pilot Boats NEW YORK and NEW JERSEY, and as motorboat operators
on pilot station as a part of their training. Two Sandy Hook Apprentice Pilots
were approved in 2007. Capt. Colin McCluney (FBHRP, Retired) and Capt.
Paul Costablie are the training officers for the Hudson River Pilot and
Sound/Block Island Pilot Associations, respectively.
Click here to view complete list of New
York State Apprentices authorized by the Board of Commissioners
PORT OF NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY SANDY HOOK PILOTS;
NUMBER OF
SHIP MOVEMENTS TO/FROM SEA AND SHIP TRANSPORTS:
2005- 11,933 ship assignments, 142 per
pilot
2006- 12,605 ship assignments, 172 per
pilot
2007- 12,393 ship assignments, 177 per
pilot
PORT OF NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY SANDY HOOK PILOTS
ACTIVITY
ANALYSIS; TOTAL NUMBER OF PILOT ASSIGNMENTS:
2005- 15,222 total pilot assignments,
211.4 per pilot
2006- 15,875 total pilot assignments, 218
per pilot
2007- 15,629 total pilot assignments, 223
per pilot
HUDSON RIVER
LICENSED PILOTS AND SHIPS HANDLED:
2005- 8 pilots, 716 ship assignments,
89 per pilot
2006- 8 pilots, 863 ship assignments, 100 per pilot
2007- 8 pilots, 896 ship assignments, 112 per pilot
CT/NY MOA; WATERS OF BLOCK ISLAND/LONG ISLAND SOUND PILOTS NUMBER OF SHIPS HANDLED:
2005- 9 pilots, 204 ship
assignments, 23 per pilot
2006- 9 pilots, 160 ship
assignments, 18 per pilot
2007- 8 pilots, 118 ship
assignments, 15 per pilot
TOTAL
STATE PILOTAGE ASSIGNMENTS; ALL PILOTAGE DISTRICTS:
2005- 16,142 total system assignments
2006- 16,898 total system assignments
2007- 16,643 total system assignments
PROBLEM WITH VESSELS ARRIVING AT PILOT STATIONS WITHOUT
ADVANCE NOTICE
In 2007, the number of vessels arriving on pilot station in
New York without having made timely arrival notification for
the dispatch of a State pilot. The State pilot
associations are working directly with shipping companies
and agents to address and solve this problem. A
no-notice/late notice surcharge was authorized by the Board
in 2003. To improve communications procedures and
information flows, the state pilot associations have
developed internet-based pilot dispatching and
security software with the United States Coast Guard using
the resources of the VTS and AIS systems to help coordinate
and improve the quality of arrival and departure information
for ship assignments.
FLOATING EQUIPMENT AND MARINE OPERATIONS
Fifteen ocean-going pilot vessels serve the coastal area requirements of the
New York State pilot system. The Board of Commissioners authorized and
designated state pilot transfer locations are:
-
Atlantic Ocean, at the entrance to New York Harbor (Ambrose Light)
-
New York waters of Block Island Sound, near Block Island/Point Judith and
also
Montauk Point (subject to weather and draft limitations)
-
City Island, Western Long Island Sound
-
Yonkers, Lower Hudson River
-
Hyde Park/Norrie Point, Upper Hudson River
The following floating equipment (and its status) is currently in use in the
system:
|
PILOT BOAT
|
LENGTH
|
BUILT
|
STATUS/COMMENTS
|
|
NEW YORK
|
182 (feet)
|
1972
|
In service.
|
|
NEW JERSEY
|
146
|
1986
|
In service. Main engines
rebuilt.
|
|
SANDY HOOK
|
65
|
1985
|
In service.
|
|
AMERICA
|
56
|
2000
|
In service.
|
|
PHANTOM
|
56
|
2000
|
In service. New
Caterpillar main engines on order. Fender system renewal
|
|
WANDERER
|
56
|
2001
|
In service. Overhaul
starboard engine.
|
|
YANKEE |
56 |
2005 |
In service. Caterpillar main engines. |
|
TRENTON
|
48
|
1983
|
In service, Station Yonkers
|
|
NEWARK BAY
|
44
|
1968
|
In service, Station City Island
|
|
AMBROSE
|
44
|
979
|
In standby status.
|
|
SEN. JOHN E. FLYNN
|
38
|
1971
|
In service, Station Norrie Point.
|
|
NORTHEAST PILOT V |
40 |
1992 |
In service. |
|
NORTHEAST PILOT IV |
51 |
1986 |
In service. |
|
NORTHEAST PILOT III
|
38
|
1970
|
Deactivated. In standby status.
|
|
NORTHEAST PILOT II
|
49
|
1985
|
In
service
|
|
NORTHEAST PILOT I
|
47
|
1975
|
In service
|
|
3 RHIB RESCUE CRAFT
|
25
|
1986/2007
|
In service.
To be replaced in 2008.
|
Pilot Station Edgewater
Pilot Station Yonkers |
Station Edgewater |
Facility upgrades, new paving
Dock and Piling repairs |
In 1999, the New York Navigation Law was amended by the
Legislature to provide for a capital construction surcharge, the proceeds of
which will be used to build new pilot boats and procure other durable capital
equipment for the State pilotage system in the Port of New York/New Jersey on an
ongoing basis.
Four new 56 foot, 25 knot maximum speed aluminum pilot boats (AMERICA, WANDERER, PHANTOM
and YANKEE) were constructed
at the Robert Derecktor shipyard in Mamaroneck, New York, and were delivered
late in 2000/2001, and are now in service.
Due to the heavy operating demands placed on the pilot boats, which
must function under severe weather and sea conditions, the steel and aluminum
hull material of the pilot boats is audio-gauged regularly. Plating and coatings
are serviced
and/or renewed when required.
All pilot
vessels in the system are maintained to a high standard, and are equipped with
state of the art electronic navigation, safety and communications equipment.
Pilot boats are available, in special circumstances, to other safety and law
enforcement agencies for mutual aid missions involving maritime safety, first
responder, security boardings, emergency evacuations, and homeland security.
Planned Maintenance procedures, high standards of care, and a
Service Life Extension Program have prolonged the in-service usage of floating
equipment within the system, in many cases, well beyond its originally intended
design and service life. Chief Engineer Edward Burns is the Sandy Hook
Pilot Association Marine Superintendent, based at Station Edgewater.
This fleet of
special purpose vessels assures
users of the New York State pilotage system a safe pilot service in all weather
conditions. This is extremely important, in an environment where large,
deep-draft ocean going vessels make their final approach to our coastline,
prepare for entry into the nation’s largest port, and rely upon State pilots to
provide continuous service twenty four hours a day, in any weather conditions.
STATE PILOT OPERATIONAL BASES ARE MAINTAINED AT:
· Station Edgewater, Staten Island, New York (Location
of principal business, dispatch, and operating
office for the Port of NY/NJ
and Hudson River)
Station City Island, New York (for Western Long Island Sound)
Station Yonkers, New York (for the Lower Hudson River)
Station Hyde Park, New York (for the Upper Hudson River)
Station Newport, R. I.
(Location of principal business, dispatch, and operating office for Board
designated pilot stations at Point Judith and Montauk for the N.Y. Block Island
Sound and Eastern L.I. sound, and pilot administration and dispatch duties for
the CT/NY Joint Pilot Rotation System Administrator)
MARINE CASUALTIES
More than 16,000 large commercial freight, passenger,
tankers
and bulk cargo vessels trading in international commerce entered, transited or
departed from New York waters in 2006. Several marine accidents were
reported in the Port of New York/New Jersey, Hudson River and Long Island Sound,
with one fatality reported. See
table below
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF
PILOTS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
MARINE CASUALTIES
ACCIDENTS, COLLISIONS, ALLISIONS AND GROUNDINGS
CASES CLOSED 2007
| DATE
|
NAME OF SHIP |
NATURE OF INCIDENT |
BOARD ACTION |
| 9 Sept. 2006 |
M/V CHAMPION TRADER |
Radar mast struck bridge deck. |
Letter of Caution issued to State Pilot |
| 20 Sept. 2006 |
M/V BARKALD |
Collision |
Suspension of State Pilot with refresher
training |
| 23 Feb. 2007 |
M/V TOBA |
Grounding |
State Pilot not at the conn. |
| 31 March 2007 |
M/T FASE |
Grounding |
Suspension of State Pilot with refresher
training |
| 7 May 2007 |
M/V JULIA |
Silting in the berth |
No fault on the part of the State Pilot. |
| 22 July 2007 |
CARNIVAL MIRACLE |
While docking ship came into contact
with two construction I-beams |
State Pilot not at the conn. |
| 2 Nov. 07 |
M/V ZIM XIAMEN |
Mast apparently hit Bayonne Bridge |
No fault on the part of the State Pilot |
| 4 Nov. 07 |
M/T AXEL SPIRIT |
Struck Ambrose Light Beacon approaching
pilot station. No pilot on board. |
State Pilot not at the conn. |
| 15 Dec. 2007 |
M/V BBC AFRICA |
Alleged parting of mooring lines on
barge docked in Hudson River. |
No fault on the part of the State Pilot. |
| 16 Dec. 2007 |
M/V FAUST |
Brushed barge while docking |
State pilot not at the conn. |
The Board investigates marine casualties involving vessels under the
Board's jurisdiction with
cooperation with the US Coast Guard pursuant to the New York Navigation Law.
During the investigation process, witnesses are interviewed, and where
warranted, the Board appoints a commissioner as hearing officer, and formal
hearings are conducted by the Board to hear witnesses and review evidence.
After deliberations, the Board issues an Opinion and Order to determine fault,
take license or disciplinary action, and make safety and training
recommendations when warranted to address specific safety concerns in order to
prevent recurrence of future incidents.
PILOTAGE RATES
The Board's authority to recommend pilotage rates for vessels arriving at or
departing the Port of New York/New Jersey to the Legislature under Section 87
Para 6 of the Navigation Law expired in 1995. The Board retains authority
to establish intermediary rates for other services, as well as to review and
establish surcharges for:
-
A $95 capital construction surcharge, implemented 1 July 1999,
and
reviewed quarterly/adjusted
annually.
-
Pension surcharge, reviewed quarterly, implemented in 1995
-
Hudson River pilot boat and station operating surcharge,
reviewed annually
-
A Long Island-Block
Island Sound emergency pilot boat fuel surcharge in the
amount of $200 per
embarkation/disembarkation, which was implemented on
1 February
2006 and has been extended until 31 July 2008
State pilotage revenues for vessels in international trade arriving
from or departing for sea, are earned from statutory pilotage fees
paid by vessels, according to terms and tariffs established by the
Legislature under authority of the New York State Navigation Law and
by the Board as described above.
In 2000, the legislature authorized a multi-year general tariff
increase for vessels bound to and from sea in the Port of New
York/New Jersey, and the Hudson River, as described below. In
1999, the Legislature also enacted variable rate surcharges which
provide for the cost recovery of certain investments in durable
capital equipment, such as pilot boats and electronic navigation
equipment in the Port of NY/NJ and for the recovery of certain
operating cost expenditures for pilot boats, pilot stations and
communications equipment on the Hudson River. Rates for
miscellaneous pilotage services are established by the Board under
authority of the New York State Navigation Law. In 2005
legislation for a three year rate adjustment was introduced for the
Ports of New York, New Jersey and the Hudson River. As of 20
June 2006, the legislation was passed by the New York Senate and
Assembly, and was signed by the Governor.
PORT OF NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY
SUMMARY OF
LEGISLATIVE RATE AUTHORIZATIONS:
PORT OF NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY
SUMMARY OF LEGISLATIVE RATE AUTHORIZATIONS: |
| |
|
| 2000 |
3% pilotage rate adjustment,
effective 1 July 2000 |
| 2001 |
5% pilotage rate adjustment,
effective 1 July 2001 |
| 2002 |
4.5% pilotage rate adjustment,
effective 1 July 2002 |
| 2003 |
0% pilotage rate adjustment |
| 2004 |
5% (enacted by the legislature in
2003, effective 1 January 2004 |
| 2005 |
4% pilotage rate adjustment |
| 2006 |
3% pilotage rate adjustment |
| 2007 |
5% pilotage rate adjustment |
| 2008 |
4% pilotage rate adjustment |
| 2009 |
3% pilotage rate adjustment |
Hudson River:
In January, 1999, a general rate increase was granted by
the legislature, and provided for an annual increase in
rates over a three year period. In addition, an annual
operational cost recovery surcharge for Hudson
River pilot boats, pilot stations and radio communications
was implemented by the legislature. The surcharge is
evaluated and adjusted, if necessary, by the Board of
Commissioners in January of every year. The Hudson
River pilots requested and received legislative approval in
2003 for the following
general tariff rates:
| SUMMARY OF LEGISLATIVE RATE
AUTHORIZATIONS: |
| 2000 |
10% adjustment |
| 2001 |
10% adjustment |
| 2002 |
0% adjustment |
| 2003 |
0% adjustment |
| 2004 |
5% adjustment |
| 2005 |
5% adjustment |
| 2006 |
4% adjustment |
| 2007 |
5% adjustment |
| 2008 |
4% adjustment |
| 2009 |
3% adjustment |
LONG ISLAND-BLOCK ISLAND SOUND:
The Long
Island Sound is boundary waters with the State of
Connecticut. Pilotage rates in Connecticut are
determined by the Connecticut Commissioner of
Transportation, and in New York by the legislature.
The last Long Island-Block Island Sound general rate
increase was granted in 1983. A temporary emergency
pilot boat fuel surcharge of $200 per
boarding/disembarkation has been authorized by the
States of Connecticut and New York, which is reviewed at six
month intervals. The current surcharge will expire on
31 July 2008, unless it is extended. Legislation was
introduced and passed in June of 2007 in the New York
Legislature in conjunction with proposals made by the
Connecticut Pilot Commission and Department of
Transportation which would provide the following increase in pilotage unit rates:
| Current Rate:
|
$5.30 per
unit |
| First year:
|
$7.00 per
unit (Commenced 1 February 2008) |
| Second year:
|
$7.42 per
unit |
| Third year:
|
$7.87 per
unit |
|
