The Port of New York and New Jersey is the waterway in the estuary surrounding the New York and northern New Jersey metropolitan area. Its port district encompasses an approximate area within a 30-mile radius of the Statue of Liberty. The system of navigable waters that runs along 650 miles of shoreline is considered one the finest natural harbors in the world. The port is, by tonnage, the third largest in the United States and the busiest on the East Coast.
The busy multi-user environment of the Port of NY and NJ demands that mariners of all vessels are as well informed about each other as possible. Rowers, paddlers, sailors, ferry operators, tour boats, tugs with barges, container ships, cruise ships and recreational motor boaters share these waters and need to have a clear awareness of one other in order to operate safely in the tight confines of the waters in our Port.
The complex waterways of our Port possess unique conditions including security zones, waterway closures, channel dredging projects and over 900 marine events each boating season. We are accustomed to look over typical maritime information such as tides, currents, weather and winds before we go boating, but in the busy Port environment users need to know more. Included here is some useful information on the specific challenges of our Port.