Five Years Ago Today: the Super Crane Arrived

Courtesy of Phil Little

Will Van Dorp, professor at Union County College in New Jersey, met the I Lift NY this very cold morning as it arrived from the West Coast at our very own Port Jersey Facility – The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey – escorted by tug boats Lauren Foss and Iver Foss. after docking at a private facility in Jersey City, it will stay put until it comes north to the Tappan Zee Bridge this spring.

Excitement, cameras, and (perhaps) a sigh of relief — it’s finally here — greeted the I Lift NY‘s arrival two days ago. I’m guessing the relief part.

Nowhere among the day’s pictures did I see any like the first three snapped by waterblogger Will Van Dorp; he captured I Lift NY‘s approach on the aquatic horizon, led by tugboat Lauren Foss, adding drama to suspense. Tugboat Iver Foss followed.

A New York state of mind is also apparent in these pictures taken by photographer Phil Little with the Freedom Tower and Statue of Liberty background.

Sunlight bathed the Tappan Zee bridge shortly before the I Lift NY’s arrival at The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey./EarthCam® construction camera in Tarrytown

Correction: Two weeks ago prior to the original post I said the crane, owned by Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) was renamed. It wasn’t. It was dubbed, nicknamed. Long ago and far away, it was christened the “Left Coast Lifter” for its work on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge construction project. That was then, this is now.

I’d like to know what you think.

Copyright © Janie Rosman and Kaleidoscope Eyes 2019

One Thousand-Plus Words

Excitement, cameras, and (perhaps) a sigh of relief — it’s finally here — greeted the I Lift NY‘s arrival two days ago. I’m guessing the relief part.

Courtesy of Phil Little

Nowhere among the day’s pictures did I see any like the first three snapped by waterblogger Will Van Dorp; he captured I Lift NY‘s approach on the aquatic horizon, led by tug boat Lauren Foss, adding drama to suspense. Tug boat Iver Foss followed.

A New York state of mind is also apparent in these pictures taken by photographer Phil Little with the Freedom Tower and Statue of Liberty background.

Yesterday’s press release from the Thruway Authority said, ” . . . now I Lift NY will undergo preparation for the project at a private facility in The Port of New York and New Jersey, where it will remain until it’s brought to the site of the New NY Bridge this spring.” Check for updates on the New NY Bridge website.

Sunlight bathed the Tappan Zee bridge shortly before the I Lift NY’s arrival at The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey./EarthCam® construction camera in Tarrytown

Correction: Two weeks ago I said the crane, owned by Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) was renamed. It wasn’t. It was dubbed, nicknamed. Long ago and far away, it was christened the “Left Coast Lifter” for its work on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge construction project. That was then, this is now.

I’d like to know what you think.

Copyright © Janie Rosman and Kaleidoscope Eyes 2014

Super Bull Crane

Will Van Dorp, professor at Union County College in New Jersey, met the I Lift NY this very cold morning as it arrived from the West Coast at our very own Port Jersey Facility – The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey – escorted by tug boats Lauren Foss and Iver Foss. after docking at a private facility in Jersey City, it will stay put until it comes north to the Tappan Zee Bridge this spring.

tugster: a waterblog

It’s referred to now as Left Coast Lifter, I Lift NY, Ichabod Crane, and others.  But I call it arrived and on a glorious if frigid morning.

Touchdown!!

And Lauren Foss is the clear MVP.

Bravo to all the crews and people behind the crews!

All fotos by Will Van Dorp.  More soon.

Here and here  she was at the southernmost arc of the voyage.

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Guest Blog: I Lift NY

Will Van Dorp, professor at Union County College in New Jersey, shares his observations about life on New York harbor via tugster: a waterblog on WordPress. Van Dorp, who is following the I Lift NY and its escorts, satisfies the curiosity surrounding the tugboats Lauren Foss and Iver Foss, which are due at that very harbor within two weeks.

Colossal new structures are arriving, and they will modify the riverscape between Nyack and Tarrytown for decades to come. One of these—the new Tappan Zee Bridge—will evolve, one huge piece at a time. The other—a crane integrated into a barge—will just float in. Soon. And it will erect the bridge, lifting sections weighing over a thousand tons.

The crane barge will arrive here after voyaging thousands of miles, with the Oakland bridge project as only its first. Because the crane barge has no propulsion power, it left Oakland, CA, on December 22, 2013, towed by tugboats Lauren Foss and Iver Foss. Both tugboats are operated by Foss Marine Holdings, a company that traces its history back to Tacoma, WA, in 1889, and a Norwegian immigrant named Thea Foss, said to be inspiration for “tugboat Annie.”

Tug boat Lauren Foss (extreme left) towing the crane on day one of its 6000-mile voyage (actually 5224 nautical miles = 6011 statute miles)/Courtesy of Capt. Terry O’Neil

Lauren Foss is 141’ long and rated at 7200 horsepower, making it among the most powerful tugboats to operate on the Hudson. Iver Foss is 91’ long with 2400 horsepower, and is tethered to the stern of the crane barge to serve as a rudder to the barge.

After delivering the crane, Lauren will not remain here. Likely it will steam to Philadelphia to tow the mothballed aircraft carrier USS Forrestal to Texas to be scrapped.

The crane arrived in Oakland in 2009 from Shanghai, China. For the 6200-mile Pacific crossing, the crane traveled on the deck of a heavy-lift ship called Zhenhua 22. Heavy-lift ships like Zhenhua 22 are partially sunk for loading and offloading so that cargo can be floated off or on.

Heavy-lift ship Zhenhua 18 delivered these port cranes from ZPMC Shanghai to Port Elizabeth, NJ, near the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, in March 2007/Courtesy of Will Van Dorp

A Shanghai company called ZPMC collaborated with several US companies to build this crane for a cost of approximately $50 million. Noteworthy is the fact that the barge that supports the crane was built in Portland, OR, on the Columbia River and transported to China for the crane to be mounted.

Although the I Lift NY has tremendous lifting capacity, it is by no means the largest floating crane in the world. Currently that title goes to cranes like Thialf and Saipem 7000, which can lift 14,000 tons or more.

All that being said, the crane that will enter the Hudson River within a week is arguably the largest and most powerful crane ever seen in these waters. Watch this space for more information on its arrival.

Copyright © Janie Rosman and Kaleidoscope Eyes 2014

Let the Second Year Begin!

En route to a river near us, the I Lift NY reportedly traveled in excess of 1,600 (probably more by now) nautical miles. You can follow its journey with escort tugboats Lauren Foss here, and Iver Foss here, as the project continues.

Inclement weather forced Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) to stop working last week for safety; it resumes tomorrow. Permanent pile installation near the side channels under the existing bridge is from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays; occasionally, from 12 noon to 7 p.m. on Saturdays.

Sign indicating Exit 10 off the New York State Thruway is © 2001, Jeff Saltzman. All rights reserved.

Scheduled closures for shoulder work on I-87/I-287 this week:

Tuesday, Jan. 21, through Thursday, Jan. 23 — the northbound, right-hand lane and shoulder near Exit 10, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., to allow for work on the northbound access ramp.

Friday, Jan. 24, the same lanes will be closed from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Temporary navigational lights mark the 600 foot-wide main channel. The U.S. Coast Guard’s revised Local Notice to Mariners details the Regulated Navigation Area (RNA) — 300 yards north and 200 yards south of the existing Tappan Zee Bridge — established in September. Both temporary and permanent piles are illuminated at night.

Activity in the river means BE EXTRA CAREFUL.

All boaters are required to use the main channel, reduce wake and use extreme caution while transiting the area. If necessary, the Coast Guard in the future may temporarily prohibit all vessel traffic in the RNA for safety purposes. The Coast Guard boating safety information — excerpted and in its entirety — is listed under Boater Safety Information on the New NY Bridge website.

I’d like to know what you think.

Copyright © Janie Rosman and Kaleidoscope Eyes 2014