Announcement: September 8, 2026

Texas A&M University at Galveston welcomed the Lone Star State on September 8, according to the university’s announcement that day. The $325 million vessel is 524 feet long and uses diesel-electric propulsion. It was built specifically for maritime training and is moored at the Texas Clipper Pier.

The ship is the fourth vessel in the Maritime Administration’s National Security Multi-Mission Vessel program, which was established to help address maritime workforce shortages. Its training spaces support the Texas A&M Maritime Academy’s work preparing future mariners. The university described the arrival as the result of decades of effort by university, community and industry leaders.

Read Texas A&M’s arrival story

Source: Texas A&M University at Galveston announcement. Adapted from GEDP’s September 10, 2026 newsletter.