MARAD Budget Bodes Well for New Training Ship
An open letter from President Brennan
Dear Maine Maritime Academy Community,
As you may know, a number of appropriations bills were finalized in January to keep the Government open and operating. One of those bills was the Transportation Appropriations Bill, which provides support to the State Maritime Academies through the Maritime Administration (MARAD) budget.
This MARAD budget is truly historic in terms of the support provided to the State Maritime Academies. The total provided this year is $45.2 million, which is close to a 212 percent increase over the past 10 years in federal funding that translates into direct support for the colleges, for the students, and maintenance and repair of the training ships, including fuel support for the annual cruise. I am particularly pleased to report that the budget just submitted by the President for Fiscal Year 2021 includes funding for the third ship in the National Security Multi-mission Vessel (NSMV) program to replace the aging fleet of training ships with purpose-built modern vessels. This third NSMV is slated to become the new Training Ship State of Maine.
NSMV Video – Full Length Version
By all accounts, this is a remarkable accomplishment. As Chairman of the Consortium of State Maritime Academies, I take great pride in our collective accomplishments and I am proud of what my colleagues and I have been able to achieve. By working together, we have educated many members of Congress on the importance to the Nation of the State Maritime Academies, the U.S. Merchant Marine, and the maritime industry. This year’s budget demonstrates that many in Congress now believe in the value of the State Maritime Academies.
William J. Brennan, President
Photos: Courtesy of Herbert Engineering Corp.
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This is great news and will have a tremendous impact on students before they get into the industry. Being exposed to the latest technology is very important, as the USA shipping fleet is becoming more automated.
Fantastic!
It’s pretty amazing to view this video being a former academy student on one of the older training ships and knowing now more than ever how lacking the existing training ships are. I’d sure like to see where this goes and perhaps be a part of it’s realization.
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