NY WATERWAY COMMEMORATES 23rd ANNIVERSARY OF THE 9/11 TRAGEDY

On the 23rd Anniversary of 9/11, NY Waterway pays tribute to the lives lost and honors their families and loved ones.

NY Waterway’s entire fleet, 24 ferries at the time, were the first boats to respond to the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center, with captains and deckhands adhering to the “Code of the Mariner,” to help whenever and wherever needed.  These ferries were the largest single component of the water-borne evacuation of 500,000 people from Manhattan that day, the largest maritime evacuation in history.

Under the direction of founder Arthur E. Imperatore, these ferry crews had a high level of training and professionalism and already had conducted several rescues before 9/11. They responded that day with no request or authorization from any government agency. Several ferries were on the scene immediately, and within 30 minutes, the entire NY Waterway fleet was deployed in Lower Manhattan. 

Ferries used the two available slips at the World Trade Center Ferry Terminal.  Because NY Waterway uses bow-loading ferries, they were able to push up to the seawalls in Battery Park City and Battery Park.  People climbed over the seawall railings onto the ferries.

Several evacuees have said that just seeing the ferries at the seawall, especially when the dust clouds dissipated after the two towers collapsed, reassured people and prevented panic. The shortest run was directly across the Hudson River to the Colgate Dock, where the large Colgate Clock stands in Jersey City.  Other ferries went to the Hoboken Rail Ferry Terminal, the Erie Lackawanna Terminal. At both sites, emergency personnel were waiting to assist.

Later in the day and into the night, ferries carried military and law enforcement personnel from New Jersey back to Manhattan.

“We will always keep close to our hearts those who lost their lives and their survivors,” said NY Waterway CEO Armand Pohan. “Many of us remember the fear, anger and sadness that gripped our country in the aftermath of that day. But, we must also remember the spirit of unity that was present from the earliest moments and ultimately prevailed amid the unprecedented tragedy of that day. NY Waterway remains proud to have played a role in helping our fellow New Yorkers navigate this darkest of hours.”