SUNY Maritime cadets dock in Albany near end of intercontinental voyage

After weeks at sea, nearly 600 cadets from the SUNY Maritime College docked at the Port of Albany Thursday as one of the last stops on a 75-day, intercontinental training voyage.
The cadets arrived in a $330 million ship dubbed the Empire State VII, the first ship in the nation that was specifically designed for training missions. It can also support humanitarian relief missions during natural disasters, just as previous Maritime College ships did during hurricanes like Katrina and Sandy.
Cadets start their days with breakfast at 7:30 a.m. and a formation ceremony on the deck at 8 o’clock. They then spend their days in class or running the ship, according to Matthew Bindas, a rising senior and cadet second officer on this summer’s voyage.
“It’s a lot of maintenance and repair,” Bindas said in an interview. “It’s a ship, so things rust, things break, things need to be maintained –a lot of cleaning. It’s a brand-new ship, so things that haven’t broke yet need to be up kept, cleaned and monitored.”
Once classes and work wrap up for the day at 4:30, cadets can kick back with lawn games and sunbathing on the ship’s deck. But Bindas says being able to explore the cities they’ve docked in along the way was the highlight of the trip.
“At traditional schools you don't get that opportunity to be able to go out for a summer and travel the world, basically,” Bindas said. “It’s been an incredible opportunity, and I look forward to that after graduating, I’ll be able to sail even more places.”
The Empire State VII departed from the Bronx in mid-May. It has since made stops in South Carolina, Spain and England and will end its journey at Fort Schuyler in the Bronx next week. It stopped in Albany in part because “this is about as far upstate as you can bring [the ship] Empire State without hitting something or going through the St. Lawrence," according SUNY Maritime College President and retired Rear Adm. John Okon.
“It’s my pleasure to bring Empire State up here for a few days to enjoy the Capital Region,” Okon said. “They’re going to get out, they’re going to find some great hiking, some great food.”
While cadets were exploring Albany, the public was briefly able to explore their ship during tours – but the experience was also educational for politicians who toured the ship, like State Senator Mike Benedetto:
“How do you go back?” Benedetto asked before addressing a group cadets, family members and government officials. “Do you make a U-turn? How do you go? Yeah, is that what you do? You have enough room to make a U-turn? That’s incredible.”
The cadets are required to complete the summer training voyages to earn their U.S. Coast Guard licenses. The licenses can enable them to earn six-figure starting salaries, but the training doesn’t come cheap. Three years of summer voyages can cost up to $45,000 per cadet.
To help students pay for the training, SUNY Maritime established the “Maritime Pay it Forward Fund”for Pell Grant-eligible in-state students. Those cadets are given zero percent interest loans. When they earn their licenses and pay those loans back, the funds are then given to new students.
Eighteen students participated in the financial aid program in 2025. This year, 64 students did so.
“It’s an incredible opportunity for students,” SUNY Chancellor John King.”We worry sometimes it’s a hidden gem, but we need to make it less hidden. We need to make sure we need to make sure that students all over New York State know that this incredible opportunity is available to them.”