Daily Freeman: One of the groups behind the request for commercial vessel anchorage sites along the Hudson River between Kingston and Yonkers says there will be little to no visual impact if the U.S. Coast Guard approves the plan.
“This has been custom and practice for hundreds of years,” Edward Kelly, executive director of the Maritime Association of the Port of New York/New Jersey, said by phone Thursday. “It’s not like suddenly these things are going to show up and mar people’s viewsheds.”
Kelly said people near waterways who complain about large ships and barges are like people who buy houses near airports and then complain about planes.
“These people bought, developed these properties over the past hundred years while the Hudson has been an active commercially navigational channel,” he said. “… Where do people think these tugs and barges have been anchoring all this time?”
Kelly said the 10 sites chosen for large vessels to stop during their journeys already are used as informal anchorage spots. He said the vessels that stop at the sites often do so out of safety concerns due to such factors as ice and fog. Read more.
