The U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration is working to obtain funding to construct five new national security multi-mission vessels, or NSMVs. The construction of these ships is a national imperative for two primary reasons.
First, the NSMVs are required to replace the aging fleet of training ships provided to the six-state maritime academies, which produce approximately 70 percent of the U.S. unlimited tonnage open ocean licensed mariners annually. The average age of these ships, which embark thousands of cadets each year, is 35 years. The oldest, Empire State at SUNY Maritime College, is 53 years old. Without replacement ships, the academies will be unable to produce the licensed mariners the nation needs to meet national security needs, maintain defense readiness, support a growing maritime industry, and replace an aging workforce for our Jones Act vessels.
Second, in addition to training future licensed mariners, the NSMVs will be designed and commissioned as multimission assets to support humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations. Most of the existing training ships can accommodate more than 400 passengers, making them a unique part of the National Reserve Defense Fleet. Building a new class of vessels from the keel up provides the opportunity to include unique capabilities for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and ensures adequate berthing for responders. Strategically homeported on the East, West and Gulf coasts, these ships will be able to quickly respond to disasters.
Going forward, the states and our maritime industry partners will play key roles in the effort to gain congressional support and funding. The fueling, maintenance and crewing of the ships for training cadets are state responsibilities. Industry will be asked to contribute to the outfitting of the ships to support specific training needs. Through this federal, state, and industry partnership, we can meet the national imperative for the NSVMs.
Michael A. Alfultis, President, SUNY Maritime College