NOAA Chooses Contractor to Renovate Research Ship Pier in North Charleston, S.C.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced Sept. 21 that it had awarded a $59.8 million contract to Manson Construction Co. to renovate the federal agency’s pier facility in North Charleston, S.C. The pier is integral to safe and efficient research ship operations in the area.

Manson is based in Seattle, Wash., and has an East Coast operations facility in Jacksonville, Fla.

The contract was awarded to Manson following an RFP that was open from January to May of this year, NOAA said.

NOAA expects the work to be completed in 2026.

The renovations will include demolishing the old structure and replacing it with a new pier that includes shoreside power for ships, as well as a warehouse, sea wall, living shoreline and other supporting infrastructure.

By reconstructing the pier and making other facility upgrades, two NOAA ships, Ronald H. Brown, the largest ship in the agency’s fleet, and Nancy Foster, will once again have a designated place to dock and better accommodate research missions in the Atlantic. Both vessels call Charleston their home port.

The design and construction of the pier and supporting infrastructure is funded in part by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022, a historic $3.3 billion investment to help communities, including tribes and vulnerable populations, prepare, adapt and build resilience to weather and climate events in pursuit of a climate-ready nation.

The IRA also supports improvements to weather and climate data and services and strengthens NOAA’s fleet of research airplanes and ships.

“Many of NOAA’s investments in infrastructure over the next several years are made possible because of funds from the Inflation Reduction Act,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad. “Projects like this one to replace an aging NOAA facility, along with other efforts to improve our supercomputing capacity and strengthen NOAA’s hurricane hunter fleet, would not be possible without this historic funding.”

In the news release, NOAA Corps Rear Admiral Nancy Hann explained, “Our ships cannot efficiently complete their critical work without safe and reliable shoreside infrastructure.

“Investing in our infrastructure ensures that NOAA can meet essential at-sea data collection requirements for the economic security, public safety and national security for many years to come,” added Hann, who also serves as director of NOAA Marine and Aviation Operations and the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps.

“This [contract] award comes on the heels of our ribbon-cutting ceremony in Ketchikan, Alaska for our new facility there and I am grateful for these facilities to support our ships.”

NOAA’s fleet of 15 research and survey ships are operated, managed, and maintained by the agency’s Marine and Aviation Operations. The fleet ranges from large oceanographic research vessels capable of exploring the world’s deepest ocean, to smaller ships responsible for charting America’s shallow bays and inlets.

The ship fleet also supports a wide range of marine activities, including fisheries surveys, nautical charting and ocean and climate studies. The federal agency’s ships are operated by NOAA Corps officers and civilian professional mariners.

Manson Well Suited to Handling NOAA’s Needs

Manson Construction’s core services include dredging, waterfront construction, piers and wharves, bridge building, heavy lifts and offshore work.

The well-respected contracting firm has performed these and other specialized projects worldwide, bringing a breadth of knowledge in the areas of engineering, environment and safety that is essential for timely and cost-effective project completion. Its services begin with experienced project managers, estimators, and engineers possessing a wealth of education and experience.

Manson’s philosophy is to focus on innovation, provide solutions to challenges, and ensure client engagement throughout each project.