What This Gigantic Boat Is Doing on the Hudson River

For weeks, Hudson Valley residents have all been asking the same question: what's the deal with the enormous white and orange boat slowly making its way down the Hudson River?

Not that New York's most famous river is a stranger to large vessels. With everything from cruise ships to the yachts of millionaires gracing our local waters, it takes a lot to stir up a commotion... but that's exactly what happened when this international giant came to town.

"Mystery" Boat Spotted on the Hudson River

The boat is part of a massive mission called the Champlain Hudson Power Express Project (CHPEP). Starting in Canada and making its way slowly down the river to New York City, the boat is undertaking some serious underwater activities.

The Champlain Hudson Power Express Project in the Hudson River

The project, when completed, will connect a hydropower plant in Canada to New York City by two massive underground cables that first runs underneath the lakebed of Lake Champlain before transferring to the riverbed below the Hudson River.

Grapnel Runs and Cable Laying in the Hudson River

While the first step of the project was conducting a "grapnel run" (clearing an underwater path where the future cables will lay), it seems that the second step, cable installation, may be running slightly behind schedule.

Project Timetable

Riverkeeper, a local organization focussed on protecting the Hudson River estimated the cable installation between Cementon, NY and Stony Point, NY to be completed by September 2024, but as of November, the boat can still be seen in Mid-Hudson Valley waters.

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The entire project isn't estimated to be completed until May 2026, although the massive boat will not be needed in the Hudson River the entire time. It will most likely be seen next in the Harlem River, where cable installation is estimated to begin on 2025.