The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration’s Maritime Security Program (MSP) and Tanker Security Program (TSP) have reached full enrollment with the addition of three new ships.
The two government programs provide the Department of Defense “with access to a fleet of U.S.-flagged sustainment sealift vessels and product tankers during times of armed conflict or national emergency,” the agency said.
Under the MSP, two newly selected vessels, Liberty Power and Tulane, operated by Liberty Global Logistics and Fidelio Limited Partnership, respectively, have been enrolled.
Liberty Power is a 12-year-old roll-on roll-off vessel with cargo capacity of 220,586 square feet, while Tulane is an 11-year-old RO-RO vessel with 194,665 square feet of cargo capacity. Tulane is scheduled to reflag under U.S. registry by the end of the year and will be renamed the Arc Honor.
In addition, the Pypxis Epsilon, an 8-year-old, 325,000-barrel tanker operated by U.S. Marine Management, has been selected for the newly established Tanker Security Program. The tanker is expected to reflag under U.S. registry by the end of the year and will be renamed the Shenandoah Trader.
The Tanker Security Program consists of 10 active, commercially viable, privately-owned U.S.-flag product tankers that are available to meet national defense and other Department of Defense requirements.
The first nine tankers in the TSP – three vessels each from Overseas Shipholding Group, Crowley-Stena Marine Solutions, and Seabulk Tankers – were enrolled in the program in July.