Maine Maritime Academy’s $330 million new training ship will be delivered about two months later than expected after issues uncovered during its testing phase at the Philadelphia shipyard constructing it.
The new ship, called State Of Maine, was expected to arrive by the end of the year, but is now on track to reach Maine in February, according to academy communications director Michael Dickerson.
The ship, and a major Castine waterfront project currently underway to accommodate it, will mark changes for the town’s small harbor and a big expansion of the college’s training capability as it anticipates more demand for trained mariners in the coming years.
The State of Maine is a National Security Multi-Mission Vessel, one of five commissioned by the U. S. Maritime Administration. It was built at Hanwha Philly Shipyard in Philadelphia and christened this summer. Such ships also are designed to help federal response to natural disasters, with hospital facilities, room for helicopters to land and container storage space.
It replaces a vessel by the same name that the academy has used to train its students since 1997. The new ship more than doubles capacity for students on board. It’s the first to be built specifically for the purpose; the former ship previously had been a Navy research vessel before it was acquired by the school.
During shipyard trials, it had issues with its propulsion shaft and stern tube bearing, and was drydocked in September. Pieces of it are being removed for analysis and repair or replacement, according to Dickerson; he did not have more details about the cause of the problems.
The ship will need to be drydocked again for installation of a reconditioned tail shaft, stern bearing and propulsion components associated with it.
It won’t arrive in Castine right away after repairs, as the academy is also working on a multi-year, $100 million-plus waterfront project, including construction of a new steel piling pier to accommodate the new, longer ship. The new pier will be more than double the dock space, up from 500 linear feet along the original timber pile pier, which was built in the 1960s.
The first phase, which includes the part of the pier where the ship will be berthed, is still on track to be completed this summer. The school expects the second phase to wrap up in 2027.
Until that work is done, the new ship may tie up across Penobscot Bay in Searsport, according to Dickerson. He said he was not entirely sure where it would be kept in the interim.
The delay hasn’t changed the academy’s plans for its annual summer training cruise, he said. These trips give students experience with working and living on ships, and often involve crossing the Atlantic.
