Fugro has secured a new five-year contract with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for hydrographic survey services, extending a 25-year partnership. The contract, part of NOAA’s indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) program, will support the development and maintenance of accurate nautical charts for U.S. waters.
The agreement, effective Jan. 1, 2025, through Dec. 31, 2029, will be administered by NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey (OCS). The OCS oversees the nation’s electronic navigational charts, covering 153,000 km of shoreline and 3.6 million square nautical miles of ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes waters. NOAA awards hydrographic survey projects based on its priorities to six companies holding IDIQ contracts, a Fugro statement said.
Fugro has been involved in NOAA’s hydrographic survey efforts since 1996. Fugro highlighted that over that time span, the company has utilized technologies such as airborne lidar bathymetry and remote and autonomous survey techniques as part of its survey operations.
Céline Gerson, Fugro’s group director for the Americas and president of Fugro USA, emphasized the importance of accurate nautical charts in maritime operations. “A sustainable blue economy depends on accurate and up-to-date nautical charts. We’re proud to continue our long history of work with NOAA, leveraging cutting-edge technologies to deliver the hydrographic data mariners need to safely operate in U.S. waters.”
Fugro will manage the new contract from its hydrography center in Houston.
