Running head: THE IMPORTANCE OF MAINTAINING ACCESS BERTHS FOR PGC DELIVERY 1 The Importance of Maintaining Access Berths Within Long Island, Manhattan and Its Surrounding Boroughs Jason Marchioni California Maritime Academy Running head: THE IMPORTANCE OF MAINTAINING ACCESS BERTHS FOR PGC DELIVERY 2 Abstract The basis of this project is to reinforce the necessity of maintaining access berths within Long Island, Manhattan and the surrounding New York City boroughs to support the delivery of power generation components by way of water. The region produces the majority of its own electricity at several plants and substations that are managed by two utility providers, Con Edison and PSE&G Long Island. These companies hire Weeks Marine, the largest marine contractor in the region, to engineer and perform the waterborne portions of the supply chain, which involves careful consideration of availability, costs and access to other modes of transportation. The project details the logistical challenges created by the region’s infrastructure and geography and how gentrification on the New York waterfront threatens to limit commercial access further. In addition, the project identifies several locations on the waterfront that are suitable for the delivery of power generation components and the types of equipment that can transport oversized components to these locations. Finally, the project will incorporate a plan of action that utility companies, along with the appropriate contactors and agencies, could undertake to maintain these areas for present and future use. Keywords: Weeks Marine, Con Edison, PSE&G Long Island, New York Harbor THE IMPORTANCE OF MAINTAINING ACCESS BERTHS FOR PGC DELIVERY 3 Introduction Long Island and the five boroughs of New York, which include Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island, are unique in the fact that the majority of their geographical boundaries are surrounded by water. The Bronx is the only borough on the mainland of the United States while Brooklyn and Queens are part of Long Island. While this type of geography may appear to be lucrative for waterborne projects, the majority of the shorelines are rocky and irregular and do not have sufficient water depth to sustain accessibility. In addition to natural obstacles, many man-made obstacles have been built through the gentrification of the waterfront and shoreline, making these areas, which were once ideal for commercial activities, inaccessible. Commercial ports and docks that were once considered the lifeline for these communities for receiving imported and domestic products and supporting infrastructure projects have given way to public marinas and recreational piers. While they are suitable for recreational activities they lack sufficient draft for commercial activities. The piers have been lightly built with deck loading ratings that are inadequate for supporting heavy loads, such as transformers and generators used by the region’s power generation companies. To further complicate these accessibility issues, access to Long Island and most of New York City’s boroughs must be accomplished by either crossing a bridge or traveling through a tunnel. While this type of access is suitable for pedestrian vehicles and standard trailer loads they are not suitable for transporting heavy or oversized loads due to their limited width, height and restrictions on axle loading. In addition to inadequate road infrastructure for heavy commercial loads, the region has very limited commercial rail access, with Staten Island and Long Island having limited rail lines available for commercial use. THE IMPORTANCE OF MAINTAINING ACCESS BERTHS FOR PGC DELIVERY 4 Due to the geographical, logistical and infrastructure limitations that seem to have the region’s infrastructure bottle-necked, it is imperative that the region identifies and maintains berths that can be accessed for commercial purposes by water. Waterfront access is critical for the region to support commercial activities, maintain the existing infrastructure and provide access to contractors and authorities during times of emergency. Water access to this region played key roles during the 9-11 attacks on the Twin Towers and Superstorm Sandy by reducing the response times and reducing the extra burden on the already gridlocked streets and highways. Having participated in both of these critical events in the New York region I can honestly say the recovery operations after 9-11 and Hurricane Sandy would have crippled the roads due to the amount of debris and goods that needed to be moved in a short amount of time. This paper is broken up in three parts. The Literature Review discusses the transformation of the New York waterfront and details the existing infrastructure. The Creative Project will identify several locations throughout Long Island, Manhattan and the surrounding New York City boroughs that Weeks Marine has utilized over the years which are suitable to support waterborne delivery of power generation components (“PGC”) and essential to support the waterborne delivery portion of the supply chain. I will also discuss their importance, physical limitations and identify alternative sites that should be maintained for commercial use. The Summary concludes with a plan of action for utility companies to work with the governing agencies or owners to preserve the identified locations. THE IMPORTANCE OF MAINTAINING ACCESS BERTHS FOR PGC DELIVERY 5 Literature Review History of Port Infrastructure The piers of New York have undergone a major transition over the course of the last 50 years. As Life magazine reminded readers in November 1944, “With its seven bays, four river mouths four estuaries, it is by far the world’s best and biggest natural harbor and most of the world’s major ports could easily be tucked into it.” Over time, the majority of manufacturers left the region and most commercial piers became inactive. Piers and warehouses that once bustled with activity now lie dormant. The only reminder of an industry that once flourished is the remnants of rotting piers, abandoned parking lots and industrial sites. Prior to WWII, cargoes flowed freely in and out of the port of New York. The Hudson River provided deepwater access to the harbor from the north. Vessels laden with the produce and products of upper mid-west states such as Ohio, Illinois and Michigan navigated their way to New York via the Great Lakes and through the locks of the Erie Canal, which has since been renamed the New York State Barge Canal. From the north east, vessels calling from New England utilized Long Island Sound (New York State). Meanwhile, vessels calling from international ports crossed the Atlantic and entered New York Harbor through the Verrazano Narrows, the body of water that separates the boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn, which is now spanned by the Verrazano Bridge (MTA, 2014). Meany (2002) stated the following: The Port of New York was really eleven ports in one. It boasted a developed shoreline of over 650 miles comprising the waterfronts of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island as well as the New Jersey shoreline from Perth Amboy to Elizabeth, Bayonne, Newark, Jersey City, Hoboken and Weehawken. The Port of New York included some 1,800 docks, piers, and wharves of every conceivable size, condition, and THE IMPORTANCE OF MAINTAINING ACCESS BERTHS FOR PGC DELIVERY 6 state of repair. Some 750 were classified as "active" and 200 were able to berth 425 ocean-going vessels simultaneously in addition to the 600 able to anchor in the harbor. These docks and piers gave access to 1,100 warehouses containing some 41 million square feet of enclosed storage space (p.1). As World War II came to an end, so did the industries that supported the industry of war. Merchant ships that once carried ammunition and supplies to all theaters of war no longer called in the harbor. Containerization reduced the need to have multiple facilities to berth vessels as cargoes could be unloaded much more efficiently and ships could move in and out of port faster. Also, trucks began to be the desired mode of transport over waterborne transportation, as containers could be loaded directly to truck chassis and moved over the roads (“Everything About ISO”). The drastic decline in ships calling in at the port of New York prompted the development of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (“PANYNJ”) to take over the Port of Newark in New Jersey and focus its efforts on developing a more viable option that would help secure New York’s shipping commerce in the future. In 1921, the states of New York and New Jersey signed a compact that created the PANYNJ. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (2014) states their purpose as an agency is to: Build, operate, and maintain critical transportation and trade assets. Its network of aviation, rail, surface transportation and seaport facilities annually moves millions of people and transports vital cargo throughout the New York/New Jersey region. The agency was given a broad mandate to develop and modernize the entire port district and in 1948 the agency focused its efforts on the development of Port Newark, which was greatly in need of repair (PANYNJ, 2014). In addition to the oversight of Port Newark, the PANYNJ also THE IMPORTANCE OF MAINTAINING ACCESS BERTHS FOR PGC DELIVERY 7 manages and maintains six of the tunnels and bridges that connect New Jersey to New York and its surrounding boroughs. These bridges and tunnels were instrumental in the success of Port Newark as goods could now be trucked into the New York City. An increasing number of shipping companies began to pull out of Brooklyn and Manhattan and take their business to the modernized port of Newark, New Jersey, which had direct connections to railroads and highways, allowing goods to be moved more efficiently to other parts of the country. The last of the bridges to be built, the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, was completed in 1964.