Stephen Reiss

PROJECTS: New York's Tugboats

The Port of New York and New Jersey is the largest port on the East Coast and the third-largest in the nation. In 2012, the Port of New York and New Jersey handled 5.5 million loaded and unloaded 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs). The dollar value of all cargo that moved through the port exceeded $200 billion.  

New York's tugboats are an iconic symbol of the working waterfront, performing crucial tasks that keep the harbor functioning efficiently, including hauling equipment and barges, pushing garbage scows to their landfills, nosing ships into their berths and guiding ferries through the harbor. 

  • STATEN ISLAND, NY - OCT 21: Deckhand Walter Serrano jumps between a barge and the tugboat Freddie Miller while it navigates the Kill Van Kull on October 21, 2013. Transportation of barges and equipment by tugboat is one of the 24 hours a day services marine transportation company Miller's Launch provides to support the infrastructure of New York Harbor.
  • STATEN ISLAND, NY - OCT 22: A McAllister tugboat is seen through the porthole of the tugboat Freddie Miller on October 22, 2013. Founded in 1864, McAllister Towing & Transportation is one of the oldest and largest family-owned marine towing and transportation companies in the United States.
  • STATEN ISLAND, NY - OCT 23: Deckhand Walter Serrano helps guide a barge pushed by the tugboat Freddie Miller into it's berth at Miller's Launch on the North Shore of Staten Island on October 23, 2013. Miller's Launch employs day boats, where crew work 12-hour shifts, while crews at other companies work 14 days on, 14 days off, living on the boats.
  • STATEN ISLAND, NY - OCT 27: The tugboat Julia Miller approaches the fuel tanker Bowspring in Upper New York Bay to transport Coast Guard inspectors onboard on October 27, 2013. The marine transportation company Miller's Launch started as a launch service in 1977, transporting pilots and crew to ships in the Atlantic Ocean and New York Harbor.
  • STATEN ISLAND, NY - FEB 12: A crew member of the container ship Atlantic Companion drops a ladder to accept a pilot from the tugboat Charles D. McAllister in the Kill Van Kull on February 12, 2014. Pilots licensed by the state and federal government to board vessels offshore and navigate them into port through New York Harbor must pass a 12-year training program.
  • STATEN ISLAND, NY - OCT 21: Captain John Catamoro guides the tugboat Catherine Miller into it's berth at Miller's Launch on the North Shore of Staten Island on October 21, 2013. One year after Hurricane Sandy destroyed the docks and business office of Miller's Launch, the marine transportation company is still carrying out post-Sandy construction jobs.
  • JERSEY CITY, NJ - OCT 22: Deckhand Pat Downs outside the wheelhouse of the tugboat Gabby Miller as it assists a barge being loaded with construction equipment at Global Terminal in Upper New York Bay on October 22, 2013. Global Terminal currently accommodates 5,000 truck transactions per day, and is the closest terminal to the entrance of New York Harbor.
  • STATEN ISLAND, NY - OCT 22: The front of a barge as the tugboat Freddie Miller pushes it through the Kill Van Kull on October 22, 2013. At the height of their activity in 1929, there were more than 800 tugboats operating in New York Harbor. Today that number has dropped to below 200.
  • BROOKLYN, NY - FEB 12: The tugboat Charles D. McAllister assists moving the bulk carrier Alice Oldendorff out of it's berth in the Brooklyn Navy Yard on February 12, 2014. Ships the size of the Alice Oldendorff can carry 9 million tons of bulk cargo per annum with nearly 200 port calls.
  • STATEN ISLAND, NY - MAR 19: Engineer Dean Kinnier smokes a cigarette in his quarters on the tugboat Ellen McAllister on March 19, 2014. Kinnear and the boat's five to six member crew spend 14 days on the tugboat, 14 days off, working in six-hour shifts.
  • STATEN ISLAND, NY - MAR 19: Engineer Dean Kinnier conducts maintenance on one of the two diesel engines aboard the tugboat Ellen McAllister on March 19, 2014. McAllister Towing & Transportation's fleet consists of more than 70 tugboats, including 20 working out of New York Harbor.
  • BROOKLYN, NY - FEB 12: A crew member aboard the Alice Oldendorff watches as the tugboat Charles D. McAllister assists moving the bulk carrier out of it's berth in the Brooklyn Navy Yard on February 12, 2014. Bulk carriers transport a wide range of drybulk commodities including ore, coal, petcoke and other minerals.
  • STATEN ISLAND, NY - MAR 19: Deckhand Jesse Rivera, left, and First Mate Kyle Setta in the wheelhouse of the tugboat Ellen McAllister as they help sail a container ship through the Kill Van Kull on March 19, 2014. Setta graduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, as opposed to taking the traditional {quote}hawse pipe{quote} route from deck to wheelhouse on a towing vessel.
  • STATEN ISLAND, NY - MAR 19: The tugboat Charles D. McAllister helps turn the OOCL Antwerp container ship in the Kill Van Kull on March 19, 2014. McAllister Towing & Transportation works with some of the largest liner and tanker fleets, docking and assisting vessels in New York Harbor.
  • NEW YORK, NY - OCT 27: The tugboat Freddie Miller approaches Miller's Launch on the North Shore of Staten Island on October 27, 2013. Miller's Launch has a fleet of 32 vessels including tugboats, supply boats, crew boats and barges, all traditionally named after family members.
  • STATEN ISLAND, NY - OCT 22: Deckhand Walter Serrano carries a rope across a barge with the New York skyline in the background on October 22, 2013. Federal requirements have made it more difficult to acquire a mate's license, closing off the traditional {quote}hawse pipe{quote} route from deck to wheelhouse on a towing vessel.
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