The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) awarded a contract valued at $99,637,544 to JAG Ketchikan to complete expanded upgrades and maintenance on the research vessel Henry B. Bigelow.
Following the 2027 field season, the ship will undergo this work for a 14-month period, according to the agency.
The vessel is one of 15 research ships owned by NOAA that study marine life and ocean conditions along the US east coast.
The agency explained that it is working to maximise the service life of each vessel through long-term maintenance planning. The planned upgrades will replace the propulsion system with variable speed Tier 4 generators and lighter, more efficient motors.
Additional maintenance work will replace pumps, fans, cranes, the fire detection system and radars, while also increasing the number of single-person staterooms.
The agency anticipates that the Henry B. Bigelow will be available for service in time for the 2029 field season.
NOAA has already begun modifying other ships in its fleet to perform the mission during the maintenance period, including the Pisces which was recently adjusted to conduct bottom trawling operations.
These adjustments are designed to ensure that the scientific data collection along the east coast continues seamlessly, the agency reported.
Commissioned in 2007 and homeported in Newport, Rhode Island, the vessel also conducts habitat assessments and surveys marine mammal and seabird populations from Maine to North Carolina. This research supports the primary mission of monitoring fish stocks in the North Atlantic.
