Providence Journal Editorial: Bay’s majestic ships

Posted on 20 July 2010 Tags: bridge safety &bull commercial shipping &bull lng shipping &bull recreational boating

An editorial in today’s Providence Journal notes that large ocean going vessels regularly transit the waters of Narragansett Bay without negatively impacting recreational boaters or hitting area bridges. Proposed LNG shipments into Narragansett and Mt. Hope bays will similarly have minimal impacts on recreational boating and pose no threat to “bridge safety.”

From the “Bay’s majestic ships” editorial:

We were at Fort Adams, in Newport, the other day for a Civil War re-enactment. It was a picture-postcard sunny day, the waters of Narragansett Bay sparkling blue, folks out in their pleasure boats, tourists enjoying cruises.

From under the Newport Bridge appeared one ship towering over the others — a Hoegh Autoliners vessel, heading back to sea after unloading at Quonset Point. Their ships are mighty: 600 to 700 feet long, with 150-158 feet of air draft (the distance from the surface of the water to the highest point) — a bit smaller than LNG tankers, which are 950 feet long, with about 130 feet of air draft.

Yet no one seemed to pay it the slightest heed. Sailboats sailed, yachts tacked, power boats whipped by, people on shore enjoyed the view. Nobody worried about it hitting a bridge. No one complained — if anything, people out and about enjoyed the majestic ship, testimony to at least some economic activity in Rhode Island that makes use of its advantages as the Ocean State.

The scene suggested, once again, the absurdity of claims made by the NIMBY crowd that big ships would ruin the Bay — that the pleasure craft of the rich can’t co-exist with a robust maritime economy.

It would be nice if politicians could show greater spine, and the foes of such economic activity a little more civic-mindedness, in considering using the Narragansett Bay to help create jobs in Rhode Island.