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)
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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.
