Erie Canal – Professional Mariner

29 Sep

New Blount-built tugboat to serve NY state canal system

Professional Mariner StaffTugboats & TowingErie Canal, shipbuilding

(FAIRPORT, N.Y.) — The New York Power Authority (NYPA) and New York State Canal Corp. on Monday announced the christening of the newest addition to the corporation's marine fleet, the tugboat Thomas X. Grasso. This significant investment marks the first major enhancement of the corporation's maintenance fleet in decades and is named in honor of the late Tom Grasso, longtime…

Retired canal workboat to become part of N.Y. exhibit

Professional Mariner StaffTugboats & TowingErie Canal

(WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.) — The New York State Canal Corp. has announced that one of its retired canal workboats, Tender 4, will be displayed in the city of Amsterdam’s Riverlink Park as part of a new educational exhibit featuring the history of New York’s canals in the Mohawk Valley. The vessel being donated to the Montgomery County community has supported…

Classic tug takes on winter to prevent Mohawk Valley flooding

Professional Mariner StaffSeaways & Waterways, Tugboats & TowingErie Canal, Margot, maritime industry, Mohawk River, Reimagine the Canals, tugboat industry, tugboats

Far too often, Erie Canal communities have been threatened by flooding in the spring due to the formation of ice jams. Tugboats might not be a solution most people would consider to mitigate the problem, but New York’s Reimagine the Canals program is now utilizing a tug to break up sheet ice along the route shared by the canal and…