Red Hook Containerport gains important government support, by George Fiala

Due to the dogged efforts of Michael Stamatis, President and CEO of the Red Hook Container Terminal, and the lobbying efforts of the International Longshoreman Association, Local 1814, Brooklyn’s working waterfront has been given a dramatic new lease on life. Federal funds will now pay for a new barge service which begins on June 30th. This means that a large container ship can drop their cargo at one port, and have individual containers loaded onto barge and sent to destinations closer to their delivery point. Instead of truckers having to idle for seven hours or more waiting to receive containers in an overcrowded Port Newark, and then in many cases truck the cargo through Staten Island to points east of the Hudson, barges will bring those containers directly to Brooklyn and other east of Hudson locations where they will then be loaded onto trailers. This will cut truck travel and bring savings to shippers as well as less diesel fuel emissions. Shipping by water produces seven times less carbon emissions and 20 times less nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide per ton than trucking. 

The mayor led a host of officeholders at a press event at the 39th Street pier Monday morning. The event was originally planned for Red Hook.

Barging from Newark and other nearby ports of call was federally funded until 2009, which kept the Red Hook’s facility viable, for all of the same reasons mentioned by the speakers. American Stevedoring, which operated Red Hook Terminal until forced out by the Port Authority in 2011, claimed that their rent arrears were a result of the added expense of having to assume the multi million dollar expense of the barging.

This new initiative will allow the current operator, Red Hook Container Terminal LLC, to operate profitably, and the expected increased volume will allow them to evict many of the trucks, buses and garbage trucks from the terminal as they will need the space for the increased shipping volume.

What follows are some of the prepared statements from the press conference:

“The designation by MARAD, of the New York Harbor Container on Barge Service between Red Hook Container Terminal and Port Newark Container Terminal is an important milestone for the Port of New York and New Jersey, New York City and the South Brooklyn working waterfront,” said President and CEO of Red Hook Container Terminal Michael Stamatis. “This new gateway for ocean freight movement will provide the most efficient means available for the transportation of goods across New York Harbor, offering a cost effective alternative for shippers that will help reduce greenhouse gases, fuel consumption, maintenance costs to existing roads and bridges, and traffic congestion.”

“The Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation (SBIDC) is pleased to celebrate both the Marine Highway Designation for the New York Harbor and the agreement at SBMT between the City Council and the NYCEDC,” said David D. Meade, Executive Director of the Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation. “SBIDC has served the industrial and manufacturing businesses along Southwest Brooklyn’s waterfront for close to 40 years, and we know firsthand the importance of maintaining and expanding the working waterfront in Southwest Brooklyn.  The Marine Highway designation and SBMT agreement will help create hundreds of new high quality jobs for local job seekers.  SBIDC would like to thank the Mayor, Congressman Jerrold Nadler, Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, and Council Member Carlos Menchaca for their leadership and commitment to the working waterfront in Southwest Brooklyn.”

“Today’s announcement marks another step forward rebuilding the Brooklyn waterfront,” said Assistant Speaker Felix W. Ortiz. “I will actively work to insure that civic and community leaders engage in the new task force and that we bring new jobs, housing and a better environment to Sunset Park and Red Hook.”

“By investing in port and marine transportation infrastructure, New York’s leaders are investing in an efficient transportation system that will connect goods to the city and cut congestion on the region’s bridges and tunnel,” said MARAD Administrator Paul “Chip” Jaenichen. “This project underscores the need for the Obama Administration’s GROW AMERICA Act, which will provide the long-term funding certainty to support further critical infrastructure projects nationwide.”

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