Page 44: of Marine News Magazine (November 2023)

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Length: 525 ft.

Breadth: 88.5 ft.

Feature

Depth: 55.1 ft.

Draft, design: 21.4 ft.

Range: 10,000+ miles @ 18 knots

Propulsion: Diesel Electric

Great Vessels of 2023

Engines: Wabtec (4) separated in two engine rooms

MARAD

Total installed power: 16,800 kW

Emergency generator: 900kW

Electric propulsion motors: 2 sets in series with an output of 9,000 kW

Full speed: 18 knots with 15% sea margin

Cruising speed: 12 knots with 15% sea margin

Bow thruster: 1800 kW, retractable

Stern thruster: 890 kW

Rudder: Flat type

EMPIRE STATE

As the lead vessel in a series of ? ve new training ships as a state-of-the-art training platform for up to 600 cadets being constructed to serve America’s state maritime acad- at sea, the vessel design would also have to accommodate emies, Empire State is easily one of the most important use as a humanitarian aid and disaster relief (HA/DR) plat-

U.S.-built vessels delivered in recent memory. form. State maritime academy vessels being used to sup-

Built by Philly Shipyard for the U.S. Department of port HA/DR missions was, of course, not a new concept.

Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) un- For example, in 2012, the Kennedy from the Massachu- der its National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV) setts Maritime Academy and the previous Empire State program, Empire State arrived to the Bronx, N.Y. in Sep- from SUNY Maritime College were used to house disaster tember in preparation to help train the next generation of relief workers during the Hurricane Sandy clean-up effort.

U.S. mariners attending SUNY Maritime College. The difference, of course, is that the NSMV was designed

In 2015, MARAD engaged with the U.S. Department to speci? cally support HA/DR operations, incorporating a of Transportation’s Volpe Center to make the business roll-on/roll-off side ramp, container space, onboard cargo case for the recapitalization of the state maritime academy handling equipment, a helipad and berthing for up to a training ? eet. The results of the study indicated that if the 1,000 people.

government failed to take action by 2025, three of the ex- The result was a mature design, which together with isting training vessels would be inoperable, spelling “long- the business case from Volpe, allowed MARAD to receive term negative impact on national security, reducing the Congressional funding to begin the NSMV program in number of credentialed mariners available to operate U.S. earnest. However, Congress saw the value of partnering vessels during war, national emergencies, and for domestic with private industry to ef? ciently construct these next and international commerce.” generation dual-purpose vessels. Accordingly, the National

That same year, MARAD began work with Herbert En- Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017, required gineering to develop a design for what would eventually “an entity other than the Maritime Administration to become the NSMV. The demands on the design would contract for the construction of” the NSMVs. The stated be signi? cant. In addition to have to physically ? t in the Congressional goal was to “leverage the ship construction berths available at the state maritime academies, and serve expertise of… a commercial operator when contracting for 44 | MN November 2023