NEW YORK – The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Thunder Bay, a 140-foot icebreaking tug homeported in Rockland, Maine, continues to break ice on the Hudson River to keep shipping channels open between Kingston and Albany, New York, Feb. 5, 2015. The Thunder Bay's icebreaking operations are helping to facilitate the shipping of vital supplies such as home heating oil in support of Operation Reliable Energy Northeast Winters (RENEW). U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Ali Flockerzi.
NEW YORK - Ahead of the next winter storm, the Coast Guard Cutter Thunder Bay continues to conduct ice breaking along the Hudson River in support of Operation Reliable Energy for Northeast Winters.
OP RENEW is the Coast Guard's region-wide effort to ensure Northeast communities have the security, supplies, and emergency resources they need throughout the winter.
"Today, overall it's a pretty good day. We've got a pretty good wind at about 20-knots and temperatures in the high 20s. We've definitely seen it colder and snowier throughout the week," said Lt. Zac Bender, commanding officer of the Thunder Bay. "We'll have to keep an eye on whether the low overnight temperatures created any refreezing, but overall I'd say it's a pretty good day to break ice."
The Thunder Bay, a 140-foot icebreaking tug homeported in Rockland, Maine, continues to break ice on the Hudson to keep shipping channels open between Kingston and Albany, New York. An average of 300 vessels transit the Hudson River during the winter months, carrying over 10 million barrels of petroleum products to the Northeast communities.
Of the heating oil used in the country, 75 percent of it is transported through New England, New York, and New Jersey, 90 percent of that is delivered by barges.