Chairman Louis E. Sola and Commissioner Max Vekich attended The Marine Society of the City of New York’s 255th Annual Dinner held in Manhattan on March 27, 2025.
The event honored C. James Patti, President of the Maritime Institute for Research and Industrial Development (MIRAID); and the State University of New York (SUNY) Maritime College.
“The United States has a rich maritime heritage and a promising future. I was pleased to speak at the Marine Society of New York’s Annual Dinner and pay tribute to what our Nation has accomplished as a sea power and to herald what will be. Economic security is national security and maritime is an essential element of both,” said Chairman Sola.
Commissioner Vekich commended the efforts of SUNY Maritime College and MIRAID in training, protecting, and promoting the American Merchant Marine.
“We must strengthen U.S. maritime assets, secure our supply chain and restore American maritime dominance through shipbuilding and operational capacity. A vibrant commercial U.S. maritime fleet is vital to our national and economic security interests and provides the flexibility our military requires. Now is the time to invest not only in the shipbuilding industry, but also in the workforce to operate the ships and move the cargo,” said Commissioner Vekich.
The Marine Society of New York was initially incorporated by Charter from George III, King of Great Britain in 1770.