The fourth of five National Security Multi-Mission Vessels (NSMVs) built for America’s state maritime academies has officially been christened, marking another milestone in the federal program to modernize the nation’s maritime training fleet and expand the pipeline of licensed merchant mariners. 

The TS Lone Star State, built by Hanwha Philly Shipyard under the U.S. Maritime Administration’s NSMV program, was christened Friday in Philadelphia before being delivered later this year to Texas A&M University’s Maritime Academy in Galveston. The vessel will serve as the academy’s first purpose-built training ship in more than two decades. 

“This is a remarkable project with Hanwha and TOTE. That these ships are being delivered on time and on budget is a feat that should not go unnoticed,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said during the ceremony. 

The fourth of five National Security Multi-Mission Vessels (NSMVs) built for America’s state maritime academies has officially been christened, marking another milestone in the federal program to modernize the nation’s maritime training fleet and expand the pipeline of licensed merchant mariners. 

The TS Lone Star State, built by Hanwha Philly Shipyard under the U.S. Maritime Administration’s NSMV program, was christened Friday in Philadelphia before being delivered later this year to Texas A&M University’s Maritime Academy in Galveston. The vessel will serve as the academy’s first purpose-built training ship in more than two decades. 

“This is a remarkable project with Hanwha and TOTE. That these ships are being delivered on time and on budget is a feat that should not go unnoticed,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said during the ceremony.