MAY 23, 2014 -- On May 22, 2014, OR&R Scientific Support Coordinator Ed Levine hosted NOAA Administrator Kathryn Sullivan, National Ocean Service Assistant Administrator Holly Bamford, and National Weather Service Assistant Administrator Louis Uccellini aboard the Army Corps of Engineers vessel Moritz for a tour of New York Harbor.

The primary focus of the event was partnerships. They invited port partners on board so they could speak to Dr. Sullivan about their needs and discuss with her how important the NOS partnerships are.

After cruising around New York Harbor past the Statue of Liberty and down the Kill Van Kull towards the Bayonne Bride, they then turned around and returned to Battery Park. The tour also included a stop in Newark Bay to observe the newly arrived gantry crane that will be erected to handle bigger container ships passing through the new larger locks at the Panama Canal, ships which are due to arrive at the port next year.
During this tour, they discussed a variety of local topics of interest to NOAA, such as:

• The hydrographic work done during Sandy to clear the channels.
• Dredging activities to deepen the port channels to 50 feet to accommodate the larger vessels entering the port due to changes at the Panama Canal.
• Marine debris removal projects.
• Issues related to PORTS, NOAA's tides and currents data collection system.
• The raising of the Bayonne Bridge.
• Post-Sandy Environmental Sensitivity Index mapping. 

For more information, contact Ed Levine.

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