Jacksonville, Fla. — TOTE Services has signed a contract with the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) to serve as vessel construction manager for the Missile Range Instrumentation Vessel (MRIV) program. Immediately after the award, TOTE Services awarded a shipbuilding subcontract to Hanwha Philly Shipyard in Philadelphia to build the first vessel, with delivery scheduled for 2030.
The MRIV is a new class of ships that will support the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) by tracking missile flights and intercept tests at sea, collecting test data and supporting range safety operations over the Pacific Ocean. The first ship, named Golden Defender by White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought when the program was announced in July 2026, will support the Golden Dome for America missile defense initiative.
The current subcontract covers one firm ship, with options for two additional vessels. TOTE Services and Hanwha Philly Shipyard have not disclosed the value of the finalized agreements. When the broader program was announced in July, Defense News reported that construction of two MRIVs was valued at about $2 billion, with the first ship targeted for delivery by June 2030.
The MRIVs will replace the Pacific Tracker and Pacific Collector, two MARAD ships built in 1965 and 1970 that currently conduct missile-range instrumentation missions for the MDA. TOTE Services already manages and operates both vessels.
MRIV Based on NSMV Design
The new ship will use the same hull as the National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV), a class of training ships that Hanwha Philly Shipyard is building for MARAD’s state maritime academies under TOTE Services’ management. According to TOTE, the MRIV shares about 70 percent of its overall design with the NSMV.
The shipyard will use its existing production line, supply chain and trained workforce for the MRIV program. The vessels are approximately 160 meters, or about 525 feet, long.
TOTE's Construction Management Model
Under the Vessel Construction Manager model, TOTE Services coordinates the shipyard, suppliers and government customers instead of the government directly managing the shipbuilding process.
TOTE said it finalized the MRIV's design, contract terms and firm fixed pricing in less than three months, compared with a process that can take a year or more under traditional government shipbuilding. The company also said its model can reduce acquisition costs by at least 50 percent through early requirement setting and faster approval of changes.
“Signing the Missile Range Instrumentation Vessel contract and executing the shipyard subcontract brings us closer to delivering the next generation of U.S. defense capability,” said Jeff Dixon, president of TOTE Services. “Our proven Vessel Construction Management model means we’re hitting the milestones sooner and making meaningful progress faster.”
The MRIV program is a joint effort involving the Department of Transportation, Department of War and Missile Defense Agency, carried out through TOTE Services' existing construction management contract with MARAD.
Hanwha Philly Shipyard Expands Defense Work
Hanwha Philly Shipyard, acquired by South Korea's Hanwha Group in 2024, now employs more than 2,000 production workers, according to TOTE. The yard's workforce had previously fallen to only a few dozen workers, but expanded through the NSMV training ship program and new defense contracts.
Hanwha Philly Shipyard CEO David Kim said the company is proud to apply its shipbuilding capabilities to a program supporting U.S. national security.
TOTE Services is also the construction manager for the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps Landing Ship Medium program, under a contract announced in July worth up to $2.2 billion.
Pennsylvania Sen. Dave McCormick said the partnership between Hanwha Philly Shipyard and TOTE Services will strengthen military readiness, expand U.S. shipbuilding capacity and reinforce Pennsylvania's role in national security.
The first MRIV, Golden Defender, is expected to be delivered to MARAD in 2030, after which MARAD will operate the vessel for the Missile Defense Agency.
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