Philly Shipyard delivers Patriot State

Patriot State [Photo: Philly Shipyard]

Philly Shipyard Inc. yesterday delivered the Patriot State, the second of five new purpose-built, state-of-the-art training vessels for America’s state maritime academies.

The vessels are being built under MARAD’s National Security Multi-Mission Vessels (NSMVs) program and are designed to provide world-class training for America’s future mariners and to support humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions in times of need.

This second vessel, Patriot State, is being delivered to MARAD and will serve Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

“We stand tall and proud as we wave goodbye to the Patriot State.” said Steinar Nerbovik, president and CEO of Philly Shipyard. “It is the second NSMV to be delivered in the program, and the journey to Massachusetts brings well-deserved recognition and excitement for the future of the vessel, the entire NSMV program, and our shipyard. Our workforce has dedicated much time and skill to ensuring a safe at-sea experience for the cadets and crew and a dependable learning environment for all future mariners.”

Philly Shipyard was awarded the contract to build the NSMVs by TOTE Services, LLC, contracted by MARAD as the Vessel Construction Manager (VCM) to oversee the construction of the training vessels. The NSMV program is the first government sponsored shipbuilding program to utilize the VCM model. This model places the responsibility for the selection and oversight of the shipyard on a government contractor that utilizes commercial best practices to manage the project.

NSMV I, Empire State, was delivered in September 2023 to serve SUNY Maritime College. NSMV III (Maine Maritime Academy) and NSMV IV (Texas A&M Maritime Academy) are both under construction in Philly Shipyard’s outfitting and building docks, respectively. NSMV III is scheduled for delivery in 2025. T
he steel cutting for NSMV V (California Maritime Academy) was completed earlier this year, placing all remaining vessels in various stages of production at Philly Shipyard.

“The Patriot State is the second of five NSMVs that TOTE Services is managing in partnership with Philly Shipyard,” said Jeff Dixon, president of TOTE Services, “These vessels are a vital investment in the future of maritime in the U.S. and showcase the potential that arises when we utilize the right expertise and resources for the benefit of our country and future generations.”

Each NSMV will feature numerous instructional spaces, a full training bridge, and accommodations for up to 600 cadets to train in a first-rate maritime academic environment at sea. State maritime academies graduate more than half of all new officers each year — the merchant mariners who help keep cargoes and our economy moving. Many also support U.S. national security by crewing military sealift vessels.

The delivery of the Patriot State marks an important milestone for the NSMV program as well as the VCM contract model, which is attracting growing interest for its potential applicability to government shipbuilding programs to reduce costs, accelerate delivery times, and build more vessels