Every day, the harbor tugs perform the wide range of Coast Guard missions of search and rescue, national security, environmental response and maritime mobility as integral members of the local maritime community. Their primary mission in the winter is icebreaking to facilitate the shipping of vital supplies such as home heating oil to communities living in Upstate New York. Through the harshest winter conditions, the tug crews support the 140-foot ice breaking tugs, Penobscot Bay and Sturgeon Bay, both stationed in Bayonne, to keep shipping lanes open.
Every day, the harbor tugs perform the wide range of Coast Guard missions of search and rescue, national security, environmental response and maritime mobility as integral members of the local maritime community. Their primary mission in the winter is icebreaking to facilitate the shipping of vital supplies such as home heating oil to communities living in Upstate New York. Through the harshest winter conditions, the tug crews support the 140-foot ice breaking tugs, Penobscot Bay and Sturgeon Bay, both stationed in Bayonne, to keep shipping lanes open.