Port Authority officials recently joined New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and other elected officials to announce an action aimed at revitalizing the Brooklyn waterfront.

On June 29, 2015, officials celebrated commencement of a new container-on-barge service between the Port Authority’s Port Newark Container Terminal and the Red Hook Container Terminal in Brooklyn, which should be operational before the end of the summer. This initiative takes places under the auspices of the U.S.  Maritime Administration’s “America’s Marine Highway Program”, a federal initiative to integrate the nation’s 29,000 nautical miles of navigable waterways into the overall U.S. transportation network.

Ultimately, container-on-barge service contributes to tangible public policy objectives of reducing highway congestion, reducing fuel consumption, reducing emissions, improving air quality, and creating freight system redundancy.  Achievement of these objectives contributes to a healthier and more sustainable local environment and positions the region well for projected future population growth and associated increased demands for goods.

“If we are to remain competitive as a region, we must address the need for additional cross-Hudson transportation capacity,” said Port Commerce Director Richard Larrabee. “This initiative is one of the many solutions to help mitigate demands on the already limited resources used to transport cargo in the New York and New Jersey region. The barge service creates the extra benefit of reducing congestion and improving the port’s environmental footprint.”

There will be two Port Authority owned deck barges, each with a capacity of over 400 TEUs used for this new service.  Shippers are expected to benefit through a reduction in transportation time and costs.  For additional information, please contact Michael Stamatis, President RHCT at 973-522-0999 or Mark Ficarra, Manager Commercial Service PNCT at 973-522-2236.