New NOAA research vessel Okeanos to call Quonset home

NORTH KINGSTOWN – U.S. Sen. Jack Reed announced last week that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s newest research vessel, Okeanos Explorer, will be home-ported at Quonset Point/Port of Davisville beginning in October.
A deep-sea exploration ship, Okeanos will be for the next decade at Pier One in the Port of Davisville. According to a news release, the facility includes 8,280 square feet of energy-efficient space for NOAA’s Office of Marine and Aviation Operations, which will contain office space for the ship’s support staff and warehouse space.
Okeanos Explorer is 224 feet in length with a beam of 43 feet and a draft of 15 feet. The ship can embark 46, including crew members and those assigned to mission support.
According to the release, Reed secured more than $23 million in federal funding to make Okeanos Explorer the first U.S. government ship dedicated solely to ocean exploration and to bring it to Rhode Island.
The Okeanos will join the Endeavor, a smaller research vessel owned by the National Science Foundation and home-ported in Narragansett at the University of Rhode Island Bay Campus and NOAA’s Fishing Survey Vessel Henry Bigelow, which is currently located at Naval Station Newport.
A ceremony with federal, state and local officials is planned for Oct. 17 at the pier. &#8226