Sailing along the Atlantic coastline from New York , the Empire State rounded Florida , dodged Hurricane Ophelia and cut a path along the same waters that Hurricane Katrina had sliced in its rampant urgency. On board were faculty and staff from SUNY Maritime College , which operates the 565-foot training ship. The Empire State is owned by the federal government, which activated the vessel after Hurricane Katrina. The ship's operators are trading their normal lives to provide disaster relief, leaving their own homes to provide one for the homeless. The Empire State is now serving as a floating hotel for uprooted oil rig workers who are working 24 hours a day to repair a New Orleans oil refinery.