MARAD Activates SUNY Maritime Training Ship Empire State VII for Undisclosed National Mission

The U.S. Maritime Administration is preparing to activate SUNY Maritime College’s training ship Empire State VII for a federal mission expected to last approximately 170 days, potentially taking the vessel away from the academy for much of the coming academic year.

SUNY Maritime President Rear Admiral John A. Okon announced Friday that he had received a decision memorandum from Maritime Administrator Stephen M. Carmel outlining plans to terminate the ship’s current assignment to the college and prepare it for federal service beginning around September 1.

The nature and destination of the mission have not been officially disclosed.

The activation comes amid heightened U.S. military logistics requirements connected to operations in the Middle East, including the ongoing conflict with Iran. Unconfirmed reports have suggested Empire State VII could be used to support logistics operations involving Diego Garcia, the strategically important U.S.-British military base in the Indian Ocean.

gCaptain has not independently confirmed those details.

“There is still much that we do not know, but over the next week our obligation is to prepare the vessel for federal use and remain focused on our efforts on what we do every day: educate and develop the next generation of maritime leaders,” Okon wrote.

The move would mark the first activation of a National Security Multi-Mission Vessel, which were specifically designed to give the federal government a modern fleet capable of serving both as maritime academy training ships and national response assets.

Empire State VII was delivered to MARAD in September 2023 and assigned to SUNY Maritime College in the Bronx as the first of five new NSMVs built for the nation’s state maritime academies.

The ships are owned by the federal government rather than the academies.

While their primary mission is training future U.S. Merchant Marine officers, the vessels were designed with extensive capabilities for humanitarian assistance, disaster response and other national emergencies.

Each NSMV can accommodate up to 600 cadets during training missions and as many as 1,000 people during emergency operations. They are equipped with hospital facilities, a helicopter landing pad, roll-on/roll-off ramps and container capacity, allowing them to transport personnel, vehicles and relief supplies without relying on fully developed port infrastructure.

The approximately 170-day activation would represent a considerably longer federal deployment than the short-term disaster response missions historically performed by maritime academy training ships.

It would also leave SUNY Maritime without its primary training vessel for an extended period.

Okon acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding the deployment while saying the college would work to minimize its impact on students.

“What we do know is that we will face whatever comes next together, with our students first and our mission always at the forefront,” he wrote.

“I know this message is likely to cause anxiety and stress,” Okon added, pointing students toward Student Affairs and reminding faculty and staff of available employee assistance resources.

SUNY Maritime has previously supported federal emergency operations with its training ships, including responses to Hurricanes Katrina, Harvey and Sandy.

The NSMV program was conceived in part because the aging vessels previously assigned to the state maritime academies were increasingly difficult to maintain and lacked many of the capabilities needed for modern emergency response.

Philly Shipyard was selected to build all five vessels under a vessel construction management program overseen by TOTE Services.

The first ship, Empire State VII, arrived at SUNY Maritime in September 2023. Subsequent NSMVs have been assigned to Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Maine Maritime Academy and Texas A&M Maritime Academy, with the fifth vessel intended for California’s maritime academy.

If Empire State VII enters federal service around September 1 as indicated, a 170-day mission would extend into approximately February 2027.

Neither MARAD nor SUNY Maritime has publicly disclosed where the ship will operate or what specific federal mission it will perform.

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