Update on Ambrose Light Damages

On the afternoon of November 7, four days after the Axel Spirit, a 799-foot tanker operated by Teekay Shipping, struck the Ambrose Light Station in Lower New York Bay, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) installed a temporary buoy approximately 300 yards in front of the station. The light buoy, which was installed by USCG Cutter Willow,is to remain until all the damages to the station have been repaired.

At 2 a.m. Saturday, November 3, the Axel Spirit, which was en route to the Chevron facility in Perth Amboy, hit the important navigational tool for all ships traversing the Port of New York and New Jersey. The Station "suffered substantial damage to its legs, stanchion and the revolving light is bent and no longer rotating," according to an official USCG press release. The latest USCG press release states that "a Coast Guard Ocean Engineer surveyed Ambrose Light by helicopter and determined that it suffered critical damage."

The Ambrose Light is 76-feet tall and situated approximately 12 miles southeast of Staten Island, New York. Guiding ships traversing New York harbor, it is a vital navigational aid in the area. As repairing the station is a "long term project" ships are currently without its important guidance. However, according to Lt.j.g. Kritin Conville, a Coast Guard Sector New York incident management officer, "the temporary navigation light that the Willow is putting in place will ensure safety standards are in place for all vessels entering New York Harbor."

Since the incident, no injuries or pollution has been reported. Though the official cause of the accident will not be known until the conclusion of the ongoing investigation, severe weather caused by Tropical Storm Noel, including 20-25 knot winds and four-foot to five-foot seas, is suspected as a partial culprit.

**Photo: Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team New York Change Out Buoys; Fireman Tim Johnson and Fireman Ryan Stevenson from Aids to Navigation Team New York lift a foam lighted buoy during a seasonal buoy evolution in the Shrewsbury River, NJ, Dec. 12, 2006. Photo by PA3 Angelia Rorison