The US Maritime Administration (MarAd) is gearing up to hire an American company to help it place an order for a ship that, among its multiple missions, will serve as a training vessel for future mariners at an academy in New York.
Bidding documents were expected to be released this week for a role as vessel construction manager for the first of five national security multi-mission vessels (NSMVs), which will replace the 14,600-gt Empire State (built 1962).
Maritime Administrator Mark Buzby told the TradeWinds Shipowners Forum USA in Houston that the contract is likely to go to a US shipowner that is currently building a Jones Act vessel.
Potential bidders
The construction management contract is expected to last five years, with an option for a second five-year period, according to a draft solicitation presented to potential bidders at a MarAd industry day in late September.
Funding has been allocated in the budget for the vessel, and a second ship is in the proposed federal budget for next year.
“We’re very excited about that,” Buzby said, referring to the start of the construction management bidding process. “That is going to begin this process that will, hopefully, ultimately end up in a beautiful new training ship for New York and depending on how Congress treats the funding here in ’19, at least one more, if not several more.”
He said the winning bidder will place the order for MarAd, because of language in the legislation funding the ship requiring that “an entity” other than the agency book the vessel.
The training ship is aimed to be the first of the quintet of NSMVs, with one going to each of five state maritime academies. They will be owned by MarAd, which aims to deploy them to respond to natural disasters.
Described as the brainchild of former Maritime Administrator Paul “Chip” Jaenichen, the NSMVs are expected to cost $200m each and provide a boost to the domestic shipbuilding industry as it faces the end of a wave of newbuildings ordered by US shipowners that operate in the domestic markets protected by the Jones Act.
The orders will also be a boon to the academies, which have been lobbying for replacements for their ageing training ship.
Outdated steamship
For example, the Empire State, which is owned by MarAd and used by State University of New York Maritime College, is 56 years old. The steam-powered converted cargoship is so outdated, it is unable to enter some US waters because of environmental regulations.
The newbuilding’s specifications will make it better suited for the disaster response roles played by the training ships. It will have ro-ro capabilities, a flight deck, a crane, and bow and stern thrusters.
“It’s the first keel-up, purpose-built training vessels that have these great humanitarian assistance, disaster-relief capabilities,” Buzby said.
Delivery is expected in late 2022.
