Damaged Dredge New York Moved

The 200-foot dredge vessel, the New York, completed necessary minimum repairs to its damaged hull enabling it to be moved to the Brooklyn Navy Yard in Brooklyn, N.Y., on February 2.

The hull was damaged following a collision with the 669-foot freight ship the Orange Sun, north of Shooters Island in Newark Bay, N.J., at about 1:50 p.m. Jan. 24, 2008.

Workers from Randive Incorporated installed a steel framed box in the winch room reinforcing the hull and allowing for more stability. Contracted divers also removed and made minor repairs to the dredge vessel's three spuds. The spuds were damaged from the impact of the collision and were holding the vessel in the ground. The repairs needed to make the vessel capable of transit to the Brooklyn Navy Yard took seven days. The vessel will complete permanent repairs before being put back into full service.

Five crew members from Great Lakes Dredge and Dock accompanied the New York during its 13-mile transit to the Brooklyn yard. Several marine assets also assisted in the transit, including the Great Lakes Dredge and Dock vessels, the McCormack Boys and the Melvin Lemmerhirt, and the contracted commercial tug the Launch North Star. The Coast Guard Cutter Ridley, an 87-foot patrol boat from Montauk, N.Y., and Sector New York personnel were also on scene during the entire transit to ensure safety.

The Orange Sun, owned by Arctic Reefer Corporation in Monrovia, Liberia, and operated by Atlanship Switzerland, left the Southern Bay Ridge Anchorage at 12:30 a.m. Jan. 28, and continued its outbound voyage to Florida, after a specified classification society verified that it was fit for route and service. The vessel will enter a dry dock in Florida where it will conduct any needed repairs as a result of the incident.

A unified command with representatives from the Great Lakes Dredge and Dock LLC (the owner of the Dredge New York), Coast Guard Sector New York, New York Department of Environmental Conservation (NY DEC), New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJ DEP) and the vessel Orange Sun formed to monitor the repair and recovery of the damaged dredge vessel after the collision with the Orange Sun in Newark Bay on the day of the incident.

"Were happy to have completed the salvage and transit operations safely and we're looking forward to expediting our repairs and returning the New York to work as quickly as possible," said Chris Gunsten, contract manager for Great Lakes Dredge and Dock.

"The entire operation from the first report being received by Sector New York's Vessel Traffic Center to the completion of a tricky dredge transit this morning demonstrates how successful a unified command structure can function when people of good will come together to ameliorate what could have become an environmental nightmare," said Capt. Robert O'Brien, Coast Guard Captain of the Port of New York. "This two week old case illustrates the effectiveness of the Coast Guard's new operational command structure when all its components-operations, marine safety and state-of-the-art communications equipment are co-located in one unit. Response time, coherence and mission success are greatly enhanced."

"Sector New York will work closely with all its port partners to learn from this collision and be even more effective in future maritime events," said O'Brien.