The US Coast Guard (USCG) has suspended a controversial plan to install 10 commercial anchorages on the Hudson River in New York State.
Its decision came after more than 10,000 comments were received, many of them from local citizens and environmentalists opposed to the idea.
Under the plan the 10 anchorages would include 43 berths for ships, barges and tugboats – mostly related to petroleum transportation. They would be located at points in the river between Kingston and Yonkers.
Shipping industry advocates claimed the anchorages were necessary for the safety of navigation and would be used only when required.
But opponents feared the anchorages would become “unsightly parking lots” for numerous vessels waiting their turn at the Port of Albany’s oil terminal.
The proposal had the backing of the Maritime Association of the Port of New York and New Jersey, the Hudson River Pilots Association and the American Waterways Operators.
