Study: New York will need dry docks

Study: New York will need dry docks Days before a giant Ikea store opens in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn, N.Y. with a parking lot constructed on top of what was once one of the region’s largest graving docks, a city-commissioned study has concluded that based on the expected increase in port activities in New York Harbor, “it is likely that additional dry dock capacity will be needed to meet future growth.”
   The study by SUNY Maritime College for the New York City Economic Development Commission and the Brooklyn Navy Yard, found maritime support services represent a significant share of the region’s economic activity, generating more than $2 billion each year for the region and supporting about 12,000 jobs. The industry also takes 3.1 million trucks off New York City roads annually, she said.
   But there is an 18-month waiting time for repair and maintenance for the East Coast tug fleet, forcing many to go out of the region for service.
   For those who feel the city missed the boat by allowing IKEA to pave the graving dock there were several pieces of good news — the Brooklyn Navy Yard, several miles north of Red Hook, recently extended its lease with GMD Shipyard for 10 years. And NYCEDC notes that Hughes Brothers, which ran the former graving dock at the IKEA site, now has a floating dry dock and that additional facilities for tying up tugs have been created.
   The SUNY Maritime report proposes development of hubs to provide all workboat needs in one location and collect vessel-parking fees to be used for pier maintenance and development. The first facility will be developed by the college at its campus in the Bronx.
   It also suggests existing maritime industrial zones in the city should be preserved and strengthened, additional infrastructure should be created and improved, and private investment in city-owned properties be encourage in the maritime support industry by offering long-term leases.
   New York City is home to more than 200 tugboats, about a quarter of the U.S. East Coast tug fleet and about one-third of the barges. ' Chris Dupin