![\"SMPE](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.marineinsight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/SL-7-Sea-Land-Container-ship-300x157.png?resize=300%2C157&ssl=1\")
<\/div>\n![\"SL-7](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.marineinsight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/SL-7-Sea-Land-Container-ship.png?resize=1200%2C628\")
The Society of Marine Port Engineers (SMPE) has provided seed funding to support the SL7EXPO project, a new initiative aiming to preserve one of the SL-7 Sea-Land container ships and convert it into a maritime exposition center under the SHIPS for America Act.<\/p>\n
The SL-7 ships were originally designed by Malcolm McLean, a pioneer of container shipping, as high-speed 33-knot commercial container vessels. In the early 1980s, all eight ships in the class were taken over by the U.S. Government and converted into Fast Sealift Ships.<\/p>\n
Their conversion into roll-on\/roll-off vessels significantly increased the military\u2019s ability to move equipment quickly during operations like Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Now, all eight SL-7 ships are scheduled to be scrapped starting in 2026.<\/p>\n
SL7EXPO is a group of maritime professionals promoting the idea of saving one of these ships and turning it into a floating museum, training facility, and maritime industry awareness center. The team believes the ship\u2019s large open interior decks, strong structural condition, and historic importance make it ideal for this role.<\/p>\n
The purpose of the project is to educate the public about the maritime and intermodal industries and to promote careers in these fields.<\/p>\n
Right now, there is a serious shortage of skilled workers in the maritime industry, including crew members, shipyard workers, and engineers. Supporters of SL7EXPO believe that using one of the SL-7 ships as an education and promotion center could help address this workforce crisis.<\/p>\n
The SL7EXPO effort has slowly gained support across the industry and has already received letters of support from various maritime companies and organisations.<\/p>\n
The Society of Marine Port Engineers, which was founded after World War II to support the education and technical development of port engineers, has now offered financial support.<\/p>\n
The group has provided seed money from its educational foundation fund to help SL7EXPO become a registered nonprofit organization (501c3) and to start building its social media presence.<\/p>\n
According to SMPE, port engineers are shore-based marine engineering professionals responsible for ship maintenance, construction, and resolving technical problems. The group has a long history of working with both the U.S. Government and private shipping companies.<\/p>\n
The chairman of SMPE shared that the organisation is proud to be an early supporter of the SL7EXPO idea. He said the group hopes the government will provide a permanent berth and annual maintenance for one or more of the SL-7 ships, while the maritime industry contributes funding and resources to run the programming. He described the effort as a win-win for the country, its citizens, and the maritime sector.<\/p>\n