MAKING WAVES for the Ocean Economy

Some $7.8 billion of state and local taxes are generated annually from economic activity related to cargo transport via the state’s public marine terminals, as are more than 1.8 million jobs statewide.

Among those working in this blue economy is Nicolas Oliverie ’02. After graduating from Texas A&M’s maritime academy in Galveston and earning his civilian Coast Guard license, Oliverie worked on drilling rigs for 17 years. Today, he’s a chief mate on a lightering support vessel in the Port of Galveston where he helps transfer cargo from oil tankers to smaller shuttle tankers, enabling safe entry into the Port of Houston.

Oliverie expressed the frustration felt by many in the industry that most people are oblivious to the vital work they do. “All the stuff made overseas magically appears on the shelves,” he said. “No one thinks about the men and women on the ships and all the logistics it takes to get it there.”

Fossum echoed Oliverie’s sentiments. “Ninety percent of everything you use, wear, drive or consume traveled on ships before it got to you,” he said. “The banana you ate this morning, the phone you’re holding right now—these products are all made abroad. Even cotton that is grown nearby is typically shipped abroad, turned into clothing and then shipped back. We’ve been the No. 1 exporting state for 23 years in a row, and most Texans have no idea what this means,” he said.

One thing that hasn’t changed is the academy’s mission to equip its students to skillfully serve as third mates (deck officers) and third assistant engineers aboard civilian oceangoing vessels ranging from the smallest tugboat to the largest supertanker.

Roughly 350 of Texas A&M Galveston’s 2,200 students are enrolled in its maritime academy—one of only six state maritime academies in the nation. As such, they are required to be in Galveston’s Corps of Cadets. The vast majority of cadets are marine engineering technology majors training to maintain a ship’s engine room or marine transportation majors destined to be deck officers.

A vital part of their preparation includes required summer sea terms: [DR1] 70-day experiences cutting their teeth as they sail around the United States or venture across the globe. The cadets’ training vessels are owned by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration. Depending on training ship availability, they either sail aboard their home ship or join cadets at another academy. Juniors can opt to apply for a cadet position on a commercial vessel to gain industry experience.

“The summer sea term is the hands-on opportunity to put all classroom knowledge and learning into practice,” said Cmdr. Jim Gompper, Galveston Corps commandant. “We train cadets on the latest state-of-the-art navigation and radar equipment. We also teach them how to use paper charts, compasses and sextants. The old-fashioned way is still required by the Coast Guard, and our enemies can’t hack the stars.”

While Gompper said he or another experienced shipmate will watch the students and occasionally nudge them in a particular direction, the idea is that cadets operate the ship themselves. “When a cadet is acting as officer of the watch and they’ve got a few hundred souls under their feet depending on them to make the correct decision and to navigate and maneuver the ship, that’s an exercise in taking responsibility and making decisions under pressure,” he said.

In 1965, the first miserable voyage of the original Texas Clipper—rushed in its renovations to meet the sea term deadline—became stuff of maritime academy lore. By the time academy donor Mike Tavary ’71 came along as a student, most of the ship’s kinks had been resolved. However, the Clipper was still an old ship with old-ship issues.

“Those of us on the marine engineering track had our hands full trying to keep everything running,” Tavary recalled. “It was pre-automation, so everything was done by hand. There were several idiosyncrasies about the ship that required special attention. But that just led to your overall knowledge of how the system worked.”

Today, Capt. Wade Howell ’02 is master of the TS Kennedy, the maritime academy’s current training vessel. Training students on outdated equipment, he said, continues to be an issue. “The Kennedy is a 1967 build, and her engine room is still pretty much 1967 with some modernizations along the way,” he said. “Right now, the students rarely see any equipment less than 20 years old.”

But a new Maritime Administration initiative will soon change cadet training. Its National Security Multi-Mission Vessel program is gradually replacing the aging training ship fleet used by the state maritime academies. For the first time in Texas A&M Galveston history, maritime cadets taking a sea term in summer 2027 are scheduled to do so on a brand new ship assigned to their academy: the Lone Star State.

Over the last academic year, Texas residents paid roughly $12,000 in tuition and fees, while their out-of-state counterparts paid about $40,000. Cost for the summer 2025 sea term began at $12,500 per cadet. Without financial assistance, then, recently graduated out-of-state cadets who took part in three summer sea terms paid almost $200,000 over four years even before food, housing and other living expenses came into play.

Tight financial situations prompt many potential Texas A&M maritime cadets to give up their seagoing dreams before they even start. Some head to the federal maritime academy in New York. Still others attend one of the five maritime academies overseen by state legislatures that fund their maritime institutions far more aggressively than does Texas. Fossum explained that this additional funding in other states makes the overall cost to students more manageable, even in more expensive parts of the country.

That circumstance was a pivotal point in his life: a decision that led him to the Air Force, test pilot school, the NASA space program, and ultimately the International Space Station.

“I know the power of a positive program to change young people’s lives,” he said. “Donors can make a huge impact. And in terms of the maritime academy, even a small gift can make a big difference.”