Philly Shipyard Delivers First National Training Ship to MARAD

Philly Shipyard has delivered the first of five new federal training ships for America’s state maritime academies as part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration’s new National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV) program.

The first NSMV, named Empire State VII, will serve as the new training ship for SUNY Maritime College.

The National Security Multi-Mission Vessels will provide world-class training for the future U.S. Merchant Marine mariners and support humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions.

“We are beyond proud to deliver the Empire State today, our first government newbuild in the history of Philly Shipyard.” said Steinar Nerbovik, President & CEO of Philly Shipyard. “We are honored to be trusted with this important project, and on behalf of all of our skilled workers, we are confident that the Empire State will provide a safe, reliable and state-of-the-art training platform for generations of future mariners.”

Philly Shipyard was awarded the contract to build five NSMVs by TOTE Services, which was hired by MARAD as the program’s as the Vessel Construction Manager (VCM). As VCM, TOTE is responsible for selecting and overseeing the shipyard using commercial best practices. The NSMV program is the first government-sponsored shipbuilding program to use the model.

The NSMV program is one of the most significant investments in the American shipbuilding industry, which supports almost 400,000 jobs. Each NSMV will have instructional spaces, a full training bridge, and room for up to 600 cadets to train at sea. In addition to serving as a training and educational platform, the NSMVs will also provide modern hospital facilities, a helicopter pad, and the ability to accommodate up to 1,000 people during humanitarian missions. They will also have roll-on/roll-off and container storage capacity for disaster relief missions.

The next training vessel, NSMV II, will be delivered to the Massachusetts Maritime Academy in 2024, while the keel laying for NSMV III (Maine Maritime Academy) and steel cutting for NSMV IV (Texas A&M Maritime Academy) have been completed. NSMV V (California Maritime Academy) construction will begin later this year, and all vessels will be delivered by 2026.

“Today’s delivery of the Empire State is a historic moment for the American maritime industry made possible by the U.S. Government’s investments in our nation’s industrial base,” said TOTE Services President Jeff Dixon. “These investments are on full display as we look to build the next generation of domestic mariner training ships more cost effectively – and on schedule – using commercial innovation and best practices. We must also give credit to the dedicated and skilled workers at Philly Shipyard, whose tireless efforts in the face of unprecedented challenges helped make this milestone possible.”

NSMV specifications:

• Length: 159.85 m
• Breadth: 27.00 m
• Draft, scantling: 7.50 m
• Total berthing: 760 people
• Speed: 18 kts
• Deadweight: 8,487 MT

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