The Maritime Administration (Marad) has ordered SUNY Maritime College’s training ship Empire State VII to depart its Fort Schuyler campus Sept. 30 for Norfolk, Va., where the vessel will undergo work ahead of follow-on operations supporting the U.S. Navy.
SUNY Maritime President Rear Adm. John A. Okon said in a Sept. 24 post on the college’s Facebook page that Marad issued the sailing order Sept. 23, directing the ship to arrive in Norfolk Oct. 1. Empire State VII is expected to remain there through Oct. 30 under an extended Marad maintenance and repair activation that will include certification of its flight deck.
Neither Marad nor SUNY Maritime has disclosed the nature of the Navy operations the vessel will support following the Norfolk work.
The sailing order provides the first firm departure schedule since Marad notified the college earlier this month that it was activating Empire State VII for temporary federal service. A Sept. 1 announcement from SUNY Maritime said Maritime Administrator Stephen M. Carmel had authorized an activation beginning approximately that month with a notional mission duration of about 170 days.
The departure remained unsettled for several weeks. On Sept. 21, Okon said the federal government had not yet made a final decision on when the vessel would leave its berth at Olivet Pier.
“The decision to deploy Empire State was made by the Maritime Administrator in support of a national mission,” Okon wrote in the Facebook post. “It was not a decision made by SUNY, the College, or the College administration.”
The activation will take the vessel away from the college during the academic year. Okon said SUNY Maritime is adjusting its academic, training, waterfront, and student-support operations while the ship is gone and has told Marad that Empire State VII needs to return to Fort Schuyler on or about Feb. 12, 2027, to keep the college’s 2027 Summer Sea Term on schedule.
The ship plays a central role in training cadets seeking U.S. Coast Guard licenses. SUNY Maritime says those students must complete required seagoing experience through Summer Sea Terms aboard Empire State VII, commercial or government vessel cadet shipping, or a combination of the two. More than 600 cadets and staff participated in the vessel’s eight-week 2026 Summer Sea Term.
Delivered to SUNY Maritime in 2023, the 525' Empire State VII was the first of Marad’s new National Security Multi-Mission Vessels. The class was designed primarily for state maritime academy training while remaining available for federal missions and emergency response.
The vessel can train as many as 600 cadets and is equipped with a helicopter landing area, roll-on/roll-off cargo capability, container storage, cargo-handling equipment, and medical facilities. Marad lists Empire State as a National Defense Reserve Fleet vessel assigned to SUNY Maritime.
Okon acknowledged that the activation creates problems for the college even as the vessel takes on the federal mission.
“Two things can be true at the same time,” he said. “We can be proud that Empire State is capable of answering a national call, and we can recognize that its absence creates real challenges for our students.”
Marad did not immediately respond to a WorkBoat request for additional details on the Navy support mission, the Norfolk work, or the expected duration of the activation.
