Business & Tech
Frozen Sandy Hook Bay Cancels ALL Ferry Service
Breaking: An unprecedented ice field up to 15 inches thick has forced the ferries to cancel service for Monday morning, Jan. 8.
MIDDLETOWN, NJ — The extreme cold over the weekend has frozen Sandy Hook Bay between Atlantic Highlands and Sandy Hook, and forced Monmouth County's two rival commuter ferry providers to cancel Monday morning service in that area. SeaStreak, which runs from Atlantic Highlands to Lower Manhattan, and NY Waterways, which picks up in Belford in Middletown, both said their boats simply cannot make it through the unprecedented levels of ice.
SeaStreak says these are the worst operating conditions in their company's history.
In winters' past, it's not uncommon for the ferries to hire ice-breaking tugboats, but this year the icebreakers were unable to cut through the thick ice in time for Monday morning's commute.
Find out what's happening in Middletownfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"Due to the extreme low temperatures combined with strong Northwest winds over the weekend, an ice field of up to 15 inches thick has formed from Atlantic Highlands to Sandy Hook and extending to Staten Island. Therefore, due to the worst ice conditions in Seastreak’s operating history, we will be forced to cancel service for Monday, January 8," SeaStreak said in an alert on their website Sunday night.
"Due to extreme ice we will NOT be running Belford service tomorrow, Monday, January 8," came a similar statement issued by NY Waterways.
Find out what's happening in Middletownfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"Seastreak’s sister company, Moran Towing, is currently mobilizing a high horsepower tug which will begin breaking the ice as the tug we have traditionally chartered was unable to break through the ice field and was forced to turn around this morning. We are confident that we will be able to get the ice broken up on Monday when we will be assisted by the predicted Southwest wind (up to 30 knots) and temperatures above freezing."
We will continue to update you as conditions moderate over the next 24 hours.
Sincerely,
Seastreak
A monthly pass on NY Waterways is $635. A 40-trip monthly pass on Seastreak is $675. Do you take the ferries to work? How are you getting to work tomorrow?
Frozen Sandy Hook Bay in a photo provided by Atlantic Highlands Police.
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