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National Security Multi-Mission Vessel and Waterfront Improvement Project

Maine Maritime Academy is scheduled to take possession of the National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV), TS State of Maine, in September 2025. The $350 million NSMV is the third of five commissioned by the United States Maritime Administration (MARAD) being built at Hanwha Philly Shipyard. The vessel’s sea trials are expected to begin in June of 2025, with the christening ceremony taking place on August 20.

Captain Gordon MacArthur ’00 and Chief Engineer Aaron Coy ’99 and other members of the ship’s crew are on-site at the shipyard participating in system testing, training, and carrying out vessel familiarity efforts. On March 27, both engines in engine room one were run for the first time, while final installation and outfitting continues and is nearing completion.

To berth the vessel, the Academy is building a new pier as a part of a larger $100+ million waterfront improvement project underway with its contractors Reed & Reed, GZA Architects, and Colliers Engineering. MARAD is providing 90% of the financing for the construction of the pier.

The new pier, constructed of 354 twenty-four inch diameter steel pilings, will replace the old timber pile pier built in the 1960s, reinforced in the 1990s; as of June of 2025, more than 130 pilings have been set with an additional 130 pilings drilled to depth. The new pier will more than double the available dock space from 500 linear feet to over 1,100 linear feet.

Completion of the first phase of the project, at which point the State of Maine will be able to be tied to the pier, is expected by mid-year 2026. The next phase of construction, working inward toward the shore, is expected to conclude in 2027.

The new TS State of Maine, a state-of-the-art training vessel, will revolutionize the educational experience cadets receive as a part of the Academy’s unlimited license program. The vessel is equipped with a full training bridge, classrooms, laboratory space, and an auditorium.

All five NSMVs, part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet, will be equipped to respond to and support major federal relief efforts in response to natural disasters. The NSMVs will be able to provide hospital facilities, helicopter landing capabilities, a roll-on/roll-off ramp, container storage space, and berthing for up to 1,000 people.

Reed & Reed continues to make steady progress constructing the guide frames that will be used for the installation of the permanent pier pilings, which are expected to arrive on-site by barge the third week of December. We anticipate drilling into the ledge for piling installation to begin the second week of December.

Work continues to progress steadily. Reed & Reed are fabricating the guide frames (“the Checkerboard”) that will hold the pilings in place while they are being set. Reed & Reed will start receiving the piles (up to 100’ in length), in October and will begin vibrating the piles in place. This part of Phase 1 will take about 4 or 5 months. Then the pier will take shape as the beams and deck are installed.

Safety Notice
8/19/2024

Construction in Castine Harbor, hazards below surface.

Mariners should use caution in and around the
Maine Maritime Academy pier in Castine Harbor.

Contractor Reed & Reed is working in the area.
All vessels must keep clear and pass to the
south of the construction area.

NEVER pass between construction equipment
and the MMA docks.

All vibratory probing has been completed as of 7/29/24. Over the next three months, the construction plan is as follows:

August 2024
• R&R to fabricate pile frames on Tee Pier
• Barge Hecla to arrive approximately August 8
• Drive frames to be fabricated
• Installation of pile frames for access pier, bents I-O
• Steel for the frames to arrive by barge

September 2024
• Fabrication of pile frames on barge Hecla
• Installation of pile frames at pier head bents 5-13 to begin

October 2024
• Installation of drive frames at bents 5-13 to be completed
• Drilling subcontractor mobilization to site
• Initial pipe piling delivery by barge from New Haven, CT
• Pipe pile installation to begin

  • 7/22 Monday – R&R to finish five probes.
  • 7/23 Tuesday – Tug Pit Bull Arrives via Truck. Finish more probing outboard of ship, shift to mooring.
  • 7/25 Thursday – TSSOM Departs at 1600.
  • 7/26 Friday – R&R barge shifts to location on west and inboard of Tee. 1200 Reception for schooner Bowdoin.
  • 7/29 Monday – Road plate installation.  Handrail to go up alongside bolster on main dock.  Receive H – Pile for Frame construction.

MMA’s contractor will be boring for soil samples in the area of the MMA proposed docks. This operation will take place from a moored barge. This soil testing is part of the design phase.

Mariners should use caution.

Dates:
Barge arrival on 6/16/23
Active work from 6/19/2023 to 7/10/2023

MMA Proposed Water Boring and Dredge Sampling Location Plan w/ Aerial (PDF)

Contacts:
Michael Dickerson 207-326-2735, michael.dickerson@mma.edu

TIME: TBA
LOCATION: TBA

The NSMV is an important asset for the Academy, Castine, and the country. The NSMV is owned by MARAD and jointly operated by MARAD and Maine Maritime Academy. It is an advanced training vessel that will ensure MMA students receive the highest quality, hands-on educational opportunities available anywhere in the world. In addition to being an educational platform, the NSMV is a federal asset capable of responding to humanitarian disasters with the ability to provide emergency services.

The NSMV will be equipped with:

  • Berthing for up to 1,000 people
  • Hospital facilities
  • Water desalination capabilities
  • A helicopter pad
  • Training spaces, including eight classrooms, a full training bridge, workshops, lab spaces and an auditorium
  • Thrusters and a flap-type rudder to allow the ship to moor without tugs
  • Roll-on/roll-off and container storage, with a cargo crane and side ramp for self-loading

Please email michael.dickerson@mma.edu for additional information.