MARAD Says No Other Suitable Ship Available for Classified Empire State VII Mission

The U.S. Maritime Administration is activating SUNY Maritime College’s Empire State VII for a classified national security mission after determining that no other suitable vessel is available to meet an urgent Military Sealift Command requirement, according to a decision memorandum seen by gCaptain.

The August 28 memorandum, signed by Maritime Administrator Stephen M. Carmel, provides new details about the decision to pull the newly built training ship from SUNY Maritime for approximately 170 days beginning around September 1.

MARAD said the activation followed a direct operational request from the Commander of Military Sealift Command through U.S. Fleet Forces Command and described the mission as a matter of “compelling strategic necessity.”

“The mission requires a vessel of the NSMV Empire State VII’s capability within a period in which no other suitable vessel is available to the requesting authority,” Carmel wrote.

The specific mission is classified SECRET, according to the memorandum.

The disclosure raises questions not only about available U.S. sealift capacity, but also about how the activation is being received at SUNY Maritime.

The detailed seven-page memorandum devotes considerable attention to MARAD’s authority to take temporary custody of Empire State VII, making clear that the federally owned vessel must be made available for priority missions and that the academy cannot block the activation.

“Academy approval is not required and is not being sought,” Carmel wrote.

MARAD also lays out procedures for potential disputes, noting that SUNY Maritime may appeal operational directions related to the activation but must continue complying while any appeal is pending.

The language suggests MARAD anticipated potential objections over the decision or its impact on the college, although the memorandum does not say whether SUNY Maritime has formally challenged the activation.

SUNY Maritime President Rear Admiral John A. Okon struck a cautious tone in announcing the activation Friday, telling the college community that “there is still much that we do not know” and acknowledging that the decision was likely to cause “anxiety and stress.”

“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 said.

The potential disruption is significant. Empire State VII is SUNY Maritime’s primary training vessel, and a roughly 170-day mission beginning in September could keep the ship away until approximately February 2027.

MARAD pledged to work with the college to minimize academic disruption and identify alternative ways for affected cadets to meet required sea-time and credentialing requirements.

The activation also raises questions about U.S. sealift readiness.

The memorandum does not explain what specific capability MSC requires from Empire State VII, why another government or commercial vessel could not meet the requirement, or why the SUNY Maritime ship was selected over other National Security Multi-Mission Vessels.

MARAD said Empire State VII is “urgently required to support our troops, fulfill national defense imperatives, and serve the United States of America.”

The mission request is under final review by the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, according to the memorandum.

The move would mark the first federal activation of a National Security Multi-Mission Vessel, a new class of ships developed primarily to train future U.S. Merchant Marine officers while also providing the federal government with vessels capable of supporting emergency and national security missions.

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

While operated by the academies, the ships remain federal property and components of the National Defense Reserve Fleet.

The vessels were designed with capabilities extending beyond cadet training. Each can accommodate up to 600 cadets during training missions and as many as 1,000 people during emergency operations. They also feature hospital facilities, a helicopter landing pad, roll-on/roll-off ramps and container capacity for moving personnel, vehicles and supplies.

MARAD is invoking provisions in its agreement with SUNY Maritime that reserve the vessel for federal use when necessary.

“Training Ships shall be available for emergency and other priority uses whenever deemed necessary by the Administration without liability by the United States to the Academy for such emergency and priority use,” the agreement states, as quoted in the memorandum.

The memo stresses that Empire State VII is not owned by SUNY Maritime and remains a public vessel of the United States. MARAD said requirements governing its use for training while in academy custody do not restrict the government’s ability to take it back for a priority mission.

In its conclusion, MARAD said the academy “is therefore required to make the vessel available and cooperate in the temporary transfer of custody.”

The academy’s permanent officers and crew, however, cannot be compelled to participate in the mission.

MARAD may appoint a general agent to operate the vessel and arrange the necessary personnel. Qualified SUNY officers and crew would be welcome to participate voluntarily because of their familiarity with the ship, but the memorandum states that “the mission will proceed with or without that concurrence.”

The nature and destination of the mission remain undisclosed.

Unconfirmed reports have suggested Empire State VII could be used to support military logistics involving Diego Garcia, the strategically important U.S.-British military base in the Indian Ocean, amid ongoing U.S. operations connected to the conflict with Iran. gCaptain has not independently confirmed those details, and the MARAD memorandum does not identify Diego Garcia, Iran or any other destination.

The activation comes amid heightened U.S. military logistics requirements connected to operations in the Middle East and renewed scrutiny of the nation’s aging sealift fleet.

Military Sealift Command operates the Navy’s fleet of government-owned support and sealift ships, while MARAD maintains additional vessels through the Ready Reserve Force for military contingencies. The Pentagon can also draw on commercially operated U.S.-flag vessels for additional capacity.

The memorandum does not say whether other MSC ships, Ready Reserve Force vessels or commercial U.S.-flag ships were considered before MARAD determined that Empire State VII was needed.

But the finding makes clear that within the required timeframe, no other suitable vessel is available. “This activation is a matter of compelling strategic necessity,” Carmel wrote.

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