Splash! Our Pilot POOL shell is in the water now.

Ok, it was more like a bubble than a splash, because the Chesapeake1000 marine crane is the G.O.A.T. Our 320 ton pilot pool shell was gracefully set into the water by the team at Donjon Marine Co. at Port Newark by a specialized marine crane that can lift up to 1,000 tons and remains one of the largest on the Eastern Seaboard. Built for a top-secret CIA mission during the Cold War, the crane recovered a sunken Soviet submarine 16,500 ft. under the Pacific Ocean as part of the 1974 operation Project Azorian. Since then, it has helped build NYC hospitals and cleared major bridge collapses like Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge in 2024. Pretty cool that our 640,000 lb. pilot pool joins this heavy metal history. 

It was a pretty epic day seeing the pilot pool touch water for the first time. A few joyful tears were shed by staff and Board Members, the shell was signed, and some silly pics were snapped. Later, the pilot pool floated to its next stop at the Reicon Group shipyard in Staten Island. It’ll stay docked at the shipyard during the pilot pool’s final phase of development, which includes following newly adopted health agency protocols before construction of the pool can begin. With agency sign-off, the pilot pool will be constructed in the water at the shipyard. This includes installing all below deck components (ie. filtration system, pool, piping and valves) for final onsite testing at Pier 35 in spring 2026.

What’s next?

1. This Summer, weekly water quality testing continues with the Interstate Environmental Commission to collect additional baseline data.
2. CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) modeling is completed, which helps ensure that our filtered water (tested in Summer) flows at its best. 
3. Final design of all the elements that go into and onto the pilot pool (pool, filters, piping, decking, railings, bathrooms, first aid, lifeguard stands etc.) is submitted to regulatory agencies for final review.
4. With agency sign-off, build-out of the pilot pool and filtration system begins at Reicon Group shipyard in Staten Island in winter 2026.
5. The 2,000 sq. ft. rectangular pilot version of the pool is installed in the river at Pier 35 in spring 2026 for final evaluation.
6. Data from the 2026 testing of the pilot pool is submitted to the New York City Department of Health as part of the new process of permitting a different kind of bathing establishment for safe public use.
7. Final retrofitting of the facility’s above deck components (decking, railings, bathrooms, etc.) is completed.  
8. The facility is installed on site and final inspection for a certificate of occupancy takes place.
9. The pilot facility opens to the public and operates at Pier 35 until it is replaced by the full, 9,000 sq ft. plus-shaped pool. 
10. The pilot pool moves on to test more sites for public swimming access. 

Supported By

Sciame Construction, Elliot Bay Engineering, Arup Group, Adaptive Marine Solutions, Inc., Subsea Industries, Bollinger Shipyards, Donjon Marine Co. Inc, and BOA Marine

Press + Media

The Associated Press

News 12 New Jersey

@donjonmarine Time Lapse Video from View of Crane

@pluspoolny Instagram Announcement