A formal ceremony to welcome the Training Ship Empire State VII will be held at 1100 onboard the ship at SUNY Maritime College. This event is by invitation only. 

At the ceremony, custody of the ship will be officially transferred from the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration (MARAD) to SUNY Maritime College. TS Empire State is the seventh training ship to be honored with the name Empire State. It is the first ship of five National Security Multi-mission Vessels (NSMVs) to be built for and owned by the Federal Government and provided to the State Maritime Academies to operate as training ships for cadets. As multi-mission ships, they are also available to support humanitarian assistance and disaster response missions.