New York Harbor Safety Faces Scrutiny After 2 Die in Statue of Liberty Boat Capsizing
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 16
New York Harbor Safety Faces Scrutiny After 2 Die in Statue of Liberty Boat Capsizing
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 16
Summary
Two deaths — a mother and her infant daughter — have intensified scrutiny of New York Harbor after an overloaded charter boat capsized near the Statue of Liberty.
New York Harbor mixes ferries, cargo ships, oil tankers, barges, charter boats, Jet Skis and small recreational craft in one of the country’s busiest port corridors, creating heavy traffic and dangerous wakes south of Manhattan.
Mariners say the waterway often operates like a “free-for-all,” with some boaters ignoring basic safety practices and cutting across large vessels such as the Staten Island Ferry, which cannot stop quickly.
The accident has widened concern that rules and enforcement in the crowded harbor are not keeping pace with the volume and variety of commercial and private traffic.