Groundbreaking event for new NOAA facility at Naval Station Newport

NOAA Marine and Aviation Operations will hold a ceremony at Naval Station Newport in Rhode Island to break ground on a new facility that will serve as the future home of the NOAA Marine Operations Center-Atlantic. Four NOAA research vessels will be based at the new facility, which will also serve as the headquarters for NOAA’s Atlantic fleet.

In December 2023, the U.S. Navy, on behalf of NOAA, awarded $146,778,932 to Skanska USA, from New York, to build the new NOAA facility. Funded in part by the Inflation Reduction Act, it will include a pier that will 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.

WHAT

Groundbreaking ceremony for new NOAA Marine Operations Center-Atlantic facility

WHEN & WHERE

May 6, 11 a.m. EDT
Naval Station Newport

WHO

• Rick Spinrad, Ph.D., NOAA administrator
• Rear Admiral Nancy Hann, director, NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps and NOAA Marine and Aviation Operations
• Additional speakers invited

RSVP

Media interested in attending must contact Keeley Belva at keeley.belva@noaa.gov‬ or (240) 463-3114 no later than April 27 to obtain access to the Navy facility. 

BACKGROUND

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 U.S. The fleet supports a wide range of marine activities, including fisheries surveys, nautical charting and ocean and climate studies. NOAA ships are operated by NOAA Corps officers and civilian professional mariners.

Climate, weather, and water affect all life on our ocean planet. NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict our changing environment, from the deep sea to outer space, and to manage and conserve America’s coastal and marine resources.