Philly Shipyard Delivers the First National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV), Empire State

Program designed to provide state-of-the-art training vessels to five state maritime academies

PHILADELPHIA, PA / ACCESSWIRE / September 8, 2023 / Philly Shipyard, Inc. ("Philly Shipyard"), the sole operating subsidiary of Philly Shipyard ASA (Oslo:PHLY), today delivered the Empire State, the first of five new purpose-built, modern training vessels for America's state maritime academies. The U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration (MARAD) new vessel program - known as National Security Multi-Mission Vessels (NSMVs) - was designed to provide world-class training for America's future mariners and to support humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions in times of need. This first vessel, Empire State, was delivered to MARAD and will serve SUNY Maritime College.

"We are beyond proud to deliver the Empire State today, our first government newbuild in the history of Philly Shipyard." said Steinar Nerbovik, President & CEO of Philly Shipyard. "We are honored to be trusted with this important project, and on behalf of all of our skilled workers, we are confident that the Empire State will provide a safe, reliable and state-of-the-art training platform for generations of future mariners."

Philly Shipyard was awarded the contract to build the NSMVs by TOTE Services, LLC ("TOTE Services"), a U.S.-based company that was hired by MARAD to oversee the construction of the training vessels as the Vessel Construction Manager (VCM). The NSMV Program is the first government sponsored ship building program to utilize the VCM model. This model places the responsibility for the selection and oversight of the shipyard on a government contractor that utilizes commercial best practices to manage the project.

The next training vessel, NSMV II, destined for the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, is scheduled to be delivered in 2024. Meanwhile, the keel laying for NSMV III (Maine Maritime Academy) and steel cutting for NSMV IV (Texas A&M Maritime Academy) were recently completed. Construction of NSMV V (California Maritime Academy) will commence later this year with all vessels to be delivered by 2026.

"Today's delivery of the Empire State is a historic moment for the American maritime industry made possible by the U.S. Government's investments in our nation's industrial base," said TOTE Services President Jeff Dixon. "These investments are on full display as we look to build the next generation of domestic mariner training ships more cost effectively - and on schedule - using commercial innovation and best practices. We must also give credit to the dedicated and skilled workers at Philly Shipyard, whose tireless efforts in the face of unprecedented challenges helped make this milestone possible."