PHOTO COURTESY OF BRISTOL HARBOR GROUP
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo recently welcomed the Breaker II to the fleet of boats that helps install the Lake Erie-Niagara River ice boom each year — a series of 22 spans of steel pontoons that stretch the mouth of the river and help prevent large ice formations from forming.
“The Breaker II tugboat will play a vital role in generating power and mitigating the impacts of shoreline flooding along the Niagara River,” says Governor Cuomo. “In just a few short months, this boat will help install the region’s iconic ice boom, which will help prevent large ice flows from inhibiting the generation of clean hydro electricity to power our state, and limit ice build-ups that can cause shoreline flooding.”
Custom-designed by Bristol Harbor Group for the New York Power Authority, the Breaker II tugboat recently arrived at its home in Buffalo, New York, from the shipyard in Rhode Island. It’s specially designed with a bow made of high-grade steel to cut through ice, and its primary function will be to help install and uninstall the ice boom each year.
To learn more, visit governor.ny.gov/news.
