The Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) broke ground for a facility on Naval Station Newport in Rhode Island that will serve as the future home of the NOAA Marine Operations Center-Atlantic.
Marine Operations Center Facility
In December 2023, the US Navy, on behalf of NOAA, awarded US$147m to Skanska USA to build the new facility. Its design and construction is partly funded by the Inflation Reduction Act, the largest climate investment in history, as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda.
The facility will include a pier to accommodate four large vessels, a floating dock for smaller vessels, space for vessel repairs and parking and a building to be used for shoreside support and as a warehouse. Construction is expected to be completed in 2027. This project will operate under a Project Labor Agreement, consistent with EO 14063, issued by President Biden.
NOAA’s fleet of 15 research and survey ships are operated, managed and maintained by NOAA Marine and Aviation Operations. Ranging from large oceanographic research vessels capable of exploring the world’s deepest ocean, to smaller ships responsible for charting the shallow bays and inlets of the USA, the fleet supports a wide range of ocean and climate studies. NOAA ships are operated by NOAA Corps officers and civilian professional mariners.
Strategic goals
“I’m proud to say that this new facility has been designed to take future changes in our climate into consideration,” said NOAA administrator Rick Spinrad, PhD. “It will be LEED certified and will soon be the homeport for one of our newest, lower-emissions vessels, working toward the goal to minimize NOAA’s own impact on the environment.”
“The new, state-of-the-art Marine Operations Center-Atlantic facility is critical to NOAA’s mission and delivering on our commitments to regional, international and other diverse partners,” said NOAA Corps Rear Admiral Nancy Hann, director of the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps and NOAA Marine and Aviation Operations. “Newport has always been a welcoming community to NOAA, and we are appreciative of the support from local, state and congressional leaders, as well as our mission partners at Naval Station Newport.”
“NOAA is the top scientific weather and oceans agency and I was pleased to help Rhode Island land MOC-A. Naval Station Newport’s location and the years of strategic federal investments we’ve made here are really paying off. Bringing NOAA’s premiere research fleet and Atlantic operations center to the Ocean State means hundreds of jobs for Rhode Island and a brighter future for our Blue Economy,” said Senator Jack Reed.
“I am very pleased to celebrate the groundbreaking of NOAA’s new Atlantic Marine Operations Center right here in Rhode Island. The research conducted here will help us better understand the effects of climate change on the oceans and support job growth for years to come,” said Senator Sheldon Whitehouse. “This day would not have been possible without Senator Reed’s longtime dedication to relocating the Center to the Ocean State.”
In related news, NOAA is expanding the availability of a new experimental heat tool called HeatRisk ahead of the summer months of 2024. Click here to read the full story.
