The Maine Maritime Academy in Castine yesterday announced the largest corporate gift in its history — a $2.5 million gift from the American Bureau of Shipping in Houston, Texas.
The international ship classification society donated the money to build the ABS Center for Applied Engineering and Research, a state-of-the art facility that will replace two aging buildings at MMA’s campus, according to the Bangor Daily News.
Robert Somerville, chairman and CEO of ABS, is a 1965 MMA graduate and a recent member of the college’s board of trustees.
