Infrastructure, Dock Improvements and Ship FF&E – Phase 2    

Serving as the ocean-oriented campus of Texas A&M University at College Station, the Galveston campus is critical to the University’s land-, sea-, and space-grant mission. The campus is dedicated to leading the development of the blue economy for the Gulf Coast through education, innovation, discovery, scholarship, and service. As part of the Galveston campus, the Texas A&M Maritime Academy is one of six maritime academies in the United States. The Academy was founded in 1962 and combines instruction and field training for cadets who are being trained for maritime service and employment worldwide. Critical to the education mission, instruction includes three summer sea terms aboard a training ship to gain practical experience in seamanship, navigation, and engineering operations.

The Texas A&M Maritime Academy was awarded a National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV) in late 2020.  While initial plans were to make improvements to the current training ship dock, a Heavy Weather Mooring Analysis report was issued to the campus requiring the dock to meet requirements for a Category 2 hurricane and a dredge below the pier that, ultimately, would require the existing dock to be completely demolished and rebuilt. By relocating the NSMV berthing location to an existing wharf east of the existing training dock, improvements and modifications can be made to accommodate heavy weather mooring requirements. This existing wharf provides a more suitable site to design and construct necessary improvements that will support heavy-weather mooring conditions as required per MARAD.

Project elements include: 

• A replacement of the existing bulkhead;
• A new, open-pile pier/dock extension with mooring bollards and fendering to meet heavy weather mooring analysis provided by MARAD;
• Dredging to deepen the berth at both the pier/dock extension and wharf to accommodate the NSMV;
• Extension of campus utilities to the existing wharf
• Necessary mechanical and electrical equipment to connect the NSMV to campus utilities;
• Demolition of warehousing structures in poor condition to create an expanded heavy duty pavement zone for vehicular and large truck access; and
• Site security elements to create a pier security zone including an on-site camera system, a physical security barrier/fence, and appropriate site lighting