A congressional spending proposal includes $300 million for the construction and acquisition of a new training vessel for Maine Maritime Academy, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said.

Collins, R-Maine, was chairwoman of the negotiating committee that brokered the agreement between the House and the Senate for the transportation and housing appropriations bill. The administration had proposed spending $205 million for a smaller ship.

“This ship is a critical training asset for Maine Maritime Academy, which is why I fought to include this funding throughout the appropriations process,” she said.

Collins is familiar with the current training ship, the State of Maine. In 1997, she served as the sponsor of the training ship when it was acquired by Maine Maritime Academy.

The money for the ship is part of a transportation, housing and urban development funding bill that Collins authored.