A July 30 groundbreaking marked the start of nearly $60 million in renovations to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s ship pier at North Charleston, S.C.
In September 2023 the agency awarded a $59.8 million contract to Manson Construction Company for the renovations to be completed in 2026. The work includes demolishing and building a new pier that includes shoreside power for NOAA’s oceanographic research ships and a warehouse. A sea wall and “living shoreline” – waterfront protections typically including restored shellfish beds and wetlands – will be among the supporting infrastructure.
The reconstruction of the pier and facility upgrades will a Biden administration executive order titled “Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries and Jobs Through Federal Sustainability.” The new pier will enable NOAA ships Ronald H. Brown and Nancy Foster, homeported in Charleston, “to have a designated place to dock and better accommodate NOAA research missions in the Atlantic,” according to the agency. Both ships are homeported in Charleston.
“This pier and facility are integral to safe and efficient research ship operations in the area,” said NOAA Corps Vice Adm. (select) Nancy Hann, director of NOAA Marine and Aviation Operations and the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps. “Our ships cannot efficiently complete their critical work without safe and reliable shoreside infrastructure.”
“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. “Investing in our shoreside infrastructure helps NOAA meet essential at-sea data collection requirements that support enhanced economic security, public safety and homeland security for many years to come.”
