NEW YORK – The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Penobscot Bay, home-ported in Bayonne, N.J., conducted ice breaking operations on the Hudson River in support of Operation Reliable Energy for Northeast Winters (RENEW), today.
During the Coast Guard’s 2013-2014 winter ice breaking season the Coast Guard will conduct ice breaking operations for several reasons:
· To facilitate security operations with ports, waterways and coastal security missions
· To help prevent loss of life on the water and ashore when impacted by ice
· To provide urgent response to vessels that are directly impacted by ice
· To support communities that have need for fuel, food and medical supplies and assist in preventing or easing flood conditions
· To meet the reasonable demands of commerce to facilitate navigation on frozen, navigable waterways
· To ensure crew training and proficiency, research and development and science missions
“An average of 300 vessels transit the Hudson River during the winter months, carrying over 10 million barrels of petroleum products to the communities of this northern region,” said Moss. “This includes home heating oil, which impacts hundreds of thousands of people in our area.”
Of the heating oil used in the country, 75 percent of it is imported through New England, New York and New Jersey, 90 percent of that is delivered by barges.
“Operation Reliable Energy for Northeast Winters is the Coast Guard’s region-wide effort to ensure northeast communities have the security, supplies, energy, and emergency resources they need throughout the winter,” said Lt. Joe Klinker, First Coast Guard District Public Affairs.
To conduct Operation RENEW, Coast Guard crews will use the following ships:
• 140-foot Seagoing Icebreaking Tugs
• 65-foot Small Harbor Tugs
• U.S. Coast Guard Aircraft
• U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Aircraft