NEWPORT – The U.S. Navy, on behalf of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Tuesday, announced it has awarded New York-based Skanska USA Inc. a $146.8 million contract to design and build the administration’s new Marine Operations Center – Atlantic facility at Naval Station Newport.
Construction is anticipated to be completed by 2027.
“An expanded NOAA footprint here punctuates the value and diversity of the missions and partners at the base and makes the Naval Station a vital community and asset for military and non-military operations," said U.S. Navy Capt. and installation commander Henry Roenke.
The center and Atlantic fleet ships will be an operational component of NOAA Marine and Aviation Operations, which include managing commercial fisheries, protecting marine mammals, coral reefs, and historic shipwrecks, and producing nautical charts for mariner safety. NOAA ships also maintain buoys that gather oceanographic and weather data.
In a Tuesday statement, U.S. Secretary of Commerce and former R.I. Gov. Gina Raimondo said the investment in the facility “is critical to ensuring our infrastructure stands the test of time.”
A NOAA press release said the design details are still being finalized, but that requirements include a pier that will accommodate four large vessels, a floating dock for smaller vessels, bulkhead, space for vessel repairs and parking, and a warehouse building to be used for shoreside support.
Rhode Island’s congressional delegation released statements praising the development, which is expected to bring
approximately 200 jobs to the state.
Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., who has worked with NOAA for years to develop a permanent NOAA homeport and marine operations center in Rhode Island, called the announcement “another win for the Ocean State, for NOAA, and for local workers as we develop our Blue Economy.”
“Soon we’ll be able to put steel in the ground and put Rhode Islanders to work,” he said.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., said the facility will be a source of important data collection “that protects marine animals and ocean ecosystems and advances our understanding of the effects of climate change on the oceans.”
Parent company Skanska Group began as a Swedish construction company in 1887. Skanska USA started in 1971 with the construction of the 63rd Street Subway line in New York City. According to the company's financial statements, $5.9 billion of its $15.9 billion in fiscal 2022 revenue came from Skanska USA.
Christopher Allen is a PBN staff writer. You may contact him at Allen@PBN.com.
