The U.S. Maritime Administration is getting ready to activate the training ship Empire State VII from SUNY Maritime College for a federal mission. This mission is expected to last about 170 days, which means the ship will likely be away from the academy for most of the upcoming school year.
On Friday, SUNY Maritime President Rear Admiral John A. Okon shared that he received a memorandum from Maritime Administrator Stephen M. Carmel. This memorandum outlines the plans to end the ship's current assignment at the college and get it ready for federal service starting around September 1.
Details about the mission and where it will take place haven’t been officially revealed.
This activation is happening due to increased U.S. military logistics needs related to operations in the Middle East, including the ongoing situation with Iran. Some unconfirmed reports suggest that Empire State VII might be used for logistics support involving Diego Garcia, a key U.S.-British military base in the Indian Ocean.
gCaptain has not been able to independently verify these details.
“There is still much we don’t know, but in the coming week, we will focus on preparing the vessel for federal use while remaining committed to educating and developing the next generation of maritime leaders,” Okon wrote.
This activation will be the first for a National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV), which are designed to serve both as training ships for maritime academies and as resources for national emergencies.
Empire State VII was handed over to MARAD in September 2023 and assigned to SUNY Maritime College in the Bronx. It is the first of five new NSMVs built for the nation's state maritime academies.
These ships are owned by the federal government, not the academies.
While their main purpose is to train future U.S. Merchant Marine officers, they also have capabilities to assist with humanitarian efforts, disaster response, and other national emergencies.
Each NSMV can hold up to 600 cadets during training missions and accommodate up to 1,000 people during emergencies. They feature hospital facilities, a helicopter landing pad, roll-on/roll-off ramps, and the ability to transport personnel, vehicles, and supplies without needing fully developed port facilities.
The approximately 170-day mission would be much longer than the shorter disaster response missions previously performed by training ships from maritime academies.
This would also mean that SUNY Maritime would be without its main training vessel for an extended period.
Okon recognized the uncertainty surrounding the deployment but assured that the college would aim to minimize its effect on students.
“What we know is that we will face whatever comes next together, focusing on our students and our mission,” he wrote.
“I understand this news may cause anxiety and stress,” Okon said, directing students to Student Affairs and reminding faculty and staff about available support resources.
SUNY Maritime has previously supported federal emergency operations with its training ships, including during Hurricanes Katrina, Harvey, and Sandy.
The NSMV program was created in part because older vessels assigned to state maritime academies were increasingly hard to maintain and lacked modern emergency response features.
Philly Shipyard was selected to build all five NSMVs under a construction management program managed by TOTE Services.
The first ship, Empire State VII, arrived at SUNY Maritime in September 2023. Other NSMVs have been assigned to Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Maine Maritime Academy, and Texas A&M Maritime Academy, with the fifth vessel planned for California's maritime academy.
If Empire State VII enters federal service around September 1 as expected, the 170-day mission would run into approximately February 2027.
Neither MARAD nor SUNY Maritime has publicly shared details about where the ship will operate or the specific federal mission it will undertake.