Illustration credit: MARAD
Construction of the third new federal training ship has kicked off at Philly Shipyard.
TOTE Services and Philly Shipyard on Tuesday celebrated the steel cutting for the third National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV) destined for the Maine Maritime Academy.
The event marked the latest major construction milestone for the Department of Transportation Maritime Administration’s (MARAD) NSMV program to provide purpose-built, state-of-the-art training ships for the five state maritime academies. The NSMVs will be available to support humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions in times of need.
The third NMSV is contracted for delivery to the Maine Maritime Academy in Castine by the end of 2024.
“We’ve reached a historic milestone with the cutting of steel for this ship that will be used to train future cadets at the Maine Maritime Academy,” said TOTE Services President Jeff Dixon. “We’re grateful for the widespread, bipartisan support the NSMV program has received to help make this significant investment in the U.S. maritime industry possible.”
In May 2019, MARAD awarded TOTE Services the contract to act as the Vessel Construction Manager (VCM) for the NSMV program, ensuring commercial best practices to design and construct vessels that are built by union labor in a U.S. shipyard with U.S.-made steel and U.S.-made engines.
TOTE Services has awarded Philly Shipyard, a leading U.S. shipbuilder that is presently pursuing a mix of commercial and government work, the contracts to construct all five NSMVs, with the contract for the fifth and final vessel awarded in April.
“Just over two years ago, we received the initial order from TOTE Services for two NSMVs which officially ended our production gap and breathed new life into our shipyard,” said Steinar Nerbovik, President and CEO, Philly Shipyard. “Today, we proudly cut steel on a vessel destined for the docks of Maine Maritime and add a third ship to the active production lines within our yard. I want to thank everyone involved with this project to date and look forward seeing the cadets welcome their new training vessel in 2024.”
Construction of the first two vessels is underway with contracted delivery of NSMV I to SUNY Maritime College in 2023 and NSMV II to Massachusetts Maritime Academy in 2024.
“This historic day has been years in the making and – thanks to the efforts of the Maine Congressional delegation – we’re proud to now celebrate the start of construction of the State of Maine training vessel – which will help elevate our nation’s maritime interests and readiness for global humanitarian assistance,” said Maine Maritime Academy President Jerry Paul. “We look forward to welcoming this world class, state-of-the-art vessel to its future home in Castine, Maine and its place in U.S. maritime history.”
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