MARAD Calls Up Training Ship Empire State for Federal Service

In a surprise announcement released to the maritime and academic community, the State University of New York’s Maritime College (SUNY Maritime) reported on Friday afternoon that the training ship Empire State has been activated by the Maritime Administration for federal service. Neither the details nor the nature of the deployment for the vessel has been announced, but it is rumored it will be deployed to Diego Garcia, the U.S.-U.K. military base in the Indian Ocean.

Rear Admiral John A. Okon, President of the Maritime College, released a statement saying, “I received a decision memorandum from the Maritime Administrator, Stephen M. Carmel, outlining that MARAD will be activating Empire State for temporary federal service, commencing approximately September 1, 2026… There is still much that we do not know, but over the next week our obligation is to prepare the vessel for federal use.”

MARAD has told the college it anticipates a notional mission duration of approximately 170 days.

“What we do know is that we will face whatever comes next together,” said Okon. “I know this message is likely to cause anxiety and stress. Please know you are not alone, we are in this together.” He said attention is being paid to the stress placed on the study body, including the MUGs (Mariner Under Guidance) that had recently arrived to begin indoctrination for the new class of approximately 400.

At the beginning of the 2026-2027 academic year with the training ship in the background (SUNY Maritime College)

The vessel, which was delivered to SUNY in 2023 as the first of the new generation of training ships, was designed to support government missions. It was primarily anticipated that it would have a dual role for humanitarian support. The ship normally accommodates approximately 600 but can be equipped for up to approximately 1,000 and, as part of the humanitarian capabilities, has a full hospital aboard.

The training ship had returned to the campus in New York on July 16 after an approximately two-month training cruise with more than 600 students, faculty, and crew aboard. Empire State had departed the campus on May 12, first holding offshore for cadet training and then proceeding to Charleston, South Carolina, crossing the Atlantic to Malaga, Spain, and then to Southampton, England, before returning across the Atlantic to be in New York Harbor for the Sail 250 celebration. It had then made a rare trip up the Hudson River to Albany, New York, before the return to campus.

The Maritime College had highlighted just two weeks ago that the MUGs arrived on campus (August 12) and last week moved aboard the vessel for the next phase of their indoctrination and training. The academic year was getting underway this week.

This will be the first activation for any of the NSMVs (National Security Multi-Mission Vessel). Her sisterships have begun service in Massachusetts and Maine, and the fourth ship, Lone Star State, is scheduled to depart Monday, August 31, from Philadelphia, where she was built, on her delivery to Texas A&M Maritime in Galveston. The last vessel is still under construction for delivery to California in 2027.