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Military cargo ships load in Corpus Christi

January 28, 2003

Three civilian-crewed, non-combatant Ready Reserve Force cargo ships, MV Cape Taylor, MV Cape Texas and MV Cape Trinity, remain in Corpus Christi, all with U.S. Army cargo on board as part of the repositioning of U.S. forces in support of the global war on terrorism and to prepare for future contingencies as may be directed. MV Cape Taylor completed loading cargo and is awaiting sail orders, pending an improvement of the weather. The other two Ready Reserve Force ships continue to load Army cargo.

Ordinarily, the ships are kept in reduced operating status at berths in Houston. The ships can be activated, fully crewed and underway to a loading port in just five days.

The three roll-on/roll-off ships are part of the 72 ships of the Ready Reserve Force, owned and maintained by the U.S. Maritime Administration to meet surge-shipping requirements for the Department of Defense. The Ready Reserve Force helps offset the shortage of militarily useful sealift ships in the U.S. merchant fleet. When activated, RRF ships come under Military Sealift Command operational control.

Formerly commercial vessels, the three ships loading in Corpus Christi are well suited for transporting outsized military equipment and supplies. Each is more than 630 feet long and capable of carrying about 116,000 square feet of rolling stock and 348 containers of cargo. All three ships can be loaded using their stern ramps, which enable military equipment to be easily driven onto the ships' vehicle decks.

RRF ships each have a civilian crew employed by a private company under contract to the U.S. Maritime Administration. Federal civilian mariners and contractor-employed mariners have operated military cargo ships since the 1770s.

More than 95 percent of all equipment and supplies for a war or contingency operation move by sea on ships controlled by Military Sealift Command. When defense fuels are added, the amount of military cargo carried by sea becomes 97 percent.

Military Sealift Command, the ocean transportation provider for the Department of Defense, operates about 120 civilian-crewed, noncombatant ships around the world each day during peacetime. MSC ship missions vary from the transport and afloat prepositioning of defense cargo to underway replenishment and other direct support to Navy ships at sea and at-sea data collection for the U.S. military and other U.S. government agencies.