Philly Shipyard to Build Missile Tracking Vessels Under New MARAD Contract
During the christening ceremony for the fourth U.S. Maritime Administration training ship, Lone Star State, it was revealed that the Trump administration plans to award construction contracts to TOTE Services and the Hanwha Philly Shipyard for two missile tracking ships. The shipyard has been lobbying for work from MARAD and the U.S. Navy since its acquisition by South Korea’s Hanwha Systems and Hanwha Ocean in December 2024.
U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought today announced a $2 billion investment to build two new military ships at the Hanwha Philly Shipyard.
The two new ships – known as Missile Range Instrumentation Vessels (MRIV) – will replace two 50-year-old ships in the U.S.’s Missile Defense Agency fleet, said Duffy. In building these state-of-the-art vessels, he said the administration is equipping the military with advanced tracking capabilities to observe missile interception tests over the Pacific Ocean, gather mission-critical data, and support range safety operations.
The new vessels are known as “Golden Defender” because of their role in the Trump administration's plans for a “Golden Dome” missile defense system. They will replace the Pacific Tracker and Pacific Collector, which currently support missile range instrumentation missions, and were constructed in 1965 and 1970, respectively. Pacific Tracker was converted in 2009 from a Moore-McCormack Lines’ cargo ship, while Pacific Collector was converted in 2006 from a MARAD survey ship.
Pacific Tracker is based on a 1965-built cargo ship (TOTE Services)
TOTE Services reports the project will be an extension of the current vessel construction manager program, which it has implemented for the construction of the five training ships. The first Missile Range Instrumentation Vessel is scheduled for delivery in 2030.
The program will use the proven hull form of the training ships and leverage the active production line, existing supply chain, and workforce in place at the yard. TOTE highlights that this will permit it to reduce acquisition costs for the vessels by at least 50 percent.
Lone State State training vessel was christened on Friday ahead of its delivery to Texas this fall (MARAD)
The announcement came as officials gathered to celebrate the christening of the Department of Transportation’s fourth national security multi-mission vessel (NSMV)—Lone Star State. The ship recently completed sea trials and will train the next generation of merchant mariners at Texas A&M Maritime Academy.
“What an incredible day for the nation’s maritime industry,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. “In christening the Lone Star State, we are sending a message that the next generation of maritime leaders are worth investing in.”
TOTE Services has overseen the project and delivered four NSMVs to MARAD. The fifth and final NSMV—the Golden State—will be delivered to California’s Cal Poly Maritime Academy in summer 2027.
JPMorganChase Provides $24M to Strengthen Philadelphia’s Naval Shipbuilding
Leading U.S. investment firm JPMorganChase will provide $24 million to help strengthen Philadelphia’s shipbuilding and maritime manufacturing sector. The combination of loans, investments, and philanthropic grants comes as the Trump administration continues to struggle with its plan to revitalize the American merchant marine and naval shipbuilding capacity.
The program was announced by well-known CEO Jamie Dimon, reporting that the company will make $18 million in investments and loans, and provide $6 million in philanthropic grants. He said the focus is on skills training, regional collaboration, and small business suppliers. They hope to connect local job and business opportunities, especially in financial emprovished areas of Philadelphia, with national competitiveness and resilience priorities.
The projects clearly align with the White House priorities and goals. As one of the world’s largest financial firms, JPMorganChase has a complex relationship with the administration and personally with Donald Trump. Dimon has been at odds with some of the policies, and in January, Trump accused the company of having closed bank accounts and relationships in January 2021 for “political reasons.” In a $5 billion lawsuit, Trump claims the bank stopped relationships with the Trump organization for purely political motives.
“America can compete and lead in shipbuilding again—it starts with more skilled workers and secure supply chains,” said Jamie Dimon, Chairman and CEO of JPMorganChase, announcing this new initiative. “We need to train people for the jobs shipbuilders urgently need, connect them to good careers and strengthen the suppliers and partners that keep a shipyard running. When we build the workforce and the supply chain together, we create good careers for workers and a stronger, more resilient maritime industry that supports our national security and our economy.”
The company cites research from its Industry and Policy Thematics team saying the decline in U.S. shipbuilding reflects a set of interconnected structural challenges, including high input costs, constrained supply chain capacity, aging shipbuilding infrastructure, unreliable demand, inconsistent requirements, and workforce shortages. The JPMorganChase Policy Center and Center for Geopolitics also highlighted the scale of the workforce gap, estimating demand for 250,000 new skilled shipbuilding workers over the next decade.
Among the elements of the program, the financial institution will invest $13 million as part of a $40 million transaction to support Rhoads Industries. It will support the construction of a new 95,000-square-foot high-bay submarine manufacturing and assembly facility planned for the Philadelphia Navy Yard site.
A $5 million low-cost loan, along with a $1.5 million grant, will go to PIDC Community Capital. It will be used to provide lending products for small businesses, such as commercial real estate acquisition and construction, leasehold improvements, and working capital. The grant will support as many as 100 commercial maritime supplies with technical assistance.
The Greater Philadelphia Growth Partnership will get a $2.4 million grant to focus on programs related to training. The Skills Initiative at University City District will also get a $2 million grant to help scale workforce models.
It comes as there are already large investments underway in the shipbuilding sector, and specifically, the operations at the former Philadelphia Navy Yard. Speaking on Bloomberg TV, Hanwha highlighted that it is investment $5 billion to expand the Philadelphia Shipyard. It is also enhancing the operation with South Korean shipbuilding technology and workforce training.
It recently came out that the Trump administration had asked South Korea if it could build destroyers and oilers for the U.S. Navy. Donald Trump acknowledged the desires, confirming that the U.S. was exploring South Korean shipbuilding capabilities. South Korea’s big three shipbuilders, HD Hyundai, Samsung, and Hanwha Ocean, had each announced acquisitions and partnerships in the United States as part of the broader Korean initiative to “Make American Shipbuilding Great Again.”
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