Photo By Grady Fontana | An M1126 Stryker is discharged from Military Sealift Command (MSC) chartered steam...... read more read more
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The Military Sealift Command (MSC)-chartered steam ship Cape Island (T-AKR 10) arrived at the port of Chuk Samet, Sattahip, Thailand, Feb. 18–20, to offload equipment in support of Exercise Cobra Gold 2026 (CG26).
Thailand marked the vessel’s first point of discharge, with offloads conducted at the ports in Thung Prong and Chuk Samet. The ship discharged approximately 340 cargo items and containers, which were staged and prepared for onward transportation to exercise sites throughout Thailand.
Cobra Gold 2026 is a joint, multinational military exercise held annually in Thailand and co-sponsored by the Royal Thai Armed Forces and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.
“This ship is ideal for this kind of mission,” said civilian contracted mariner (CONMAR) Capt. Gary Vargas, Cape Island*’s* master. “The combination of the stern ramp and two cranes allow us to discharge cargo quickly. A fully loaded vessel can be discharged in 24 to 36 hours.”
Cape Island is a 685-foot roll-on/roll-off (RO/RO) cargo vessel capable of carrying significant amounts of containerized and RO/RO cargo. Prior to this mission, the ship was maintained in reduced operating status (ROS), a specialized crewing and maintenance posture for MSC and Maritime Administration (MARAD) vessels assigned to the U.S. Ready Reserve Force (RRF).
Ships in ROS are kept in a high state of readiness, allowing for rapid activation—typically within five days—while reducing operational costs during periods of inactivity.
Cape Island is part of the RRF, a subset of the MARAD’s National Defense Reserve Fleet, which provides nearly 50 percent of the U.S. government-owned surge sealift capability to support the rapid global deployment of U.S. military forces.
To support the offload operations, MSC deployed a Reserve component team from expeditionary port units (EPU) across the United States.
“As an expeditionary port unit, we serve as the liaison between the ship and MSC headquarters,” said Navy Reserve Lt. Cmdr. Joseph Morris, operations officer, Navy Reserve EPU Little Rock, assigned to MSC Far East. “If there are any issues with the offload or the ship, we help address them. This training opportunity also allows us to become more familiar with port operations and engage key stakeholders.”
Expeditionary port units are highly mobile Navy Reserve units capable of deploying worldwide to establish port operations in locations without existing MSC or U.S. Navy infrastructure.
Cobra Gold is the largest of its kind in mainland Asia and stands as a concrete example of the robust strategic relationship between Thailand, the U.S., and the many other allied and partner nations involved. Cobra Gold 26 demonstrates a shared commitment to building interoperability and advancing common interests throughout the region.
MSC Far East supports the U.S. 7th Fleet by ensuring ships throughout the Indo-Pacific region are manned, trained and equipped to deliver fuel, cargo and supplies to forces operating at sea and ashore. The U.S. 7th Fleet is the Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet and routinely operates with allies and partners to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific.
| Date Taken: | 02.20.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 03.03.2026 01:14 |
| Story ID: | 559246 |
| Location: | SATTAHIP, TH |
| Web Views: | 27 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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