A keel-laying ceremony held on Thursday, Aug. 14, officially marked the start of construction on Surveyor, the first of two new charting and mapping vessels being built for NOAA by Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors LLC, Houma, La.
The two 270'x50' research vessels are being built under a $624.6 million contract awarded in 2023. The deal, which included options for up to two additional ships, is part of NOAA’s ongoing effort to modernize its fleet to better support ocean mapping and nautical charting.
During the keel-laying ceremony, the initials of ship sponsor Tracey Brennan — widow of NOAA Corps Rear Admiral Rick Brennan — were welded onto a steel plate that will be incorporated into Surveyor during construction.
Surveyor is expected to be completed in 2027 and will be homeported in Ketchikan, Alaska. Its sister ship, Navigator, is scheduled for delivery in 2028.
The new vessels will each feature a Siemens Energy BlueDrive PlusC hybrid propulsion system with battery storage. Four Caterpillar 3512 Tier 4 engines will generate electricity for propulsion, research operations, and onboard systems.
The ships will be equipped to collect, process, and manage large datasets from tasks such as seafloor mapping and marine habitat surveys. They will also support deployment of crewed survey boats, scientific instruments, and uncrewed systems to expand their research capabilities.
Data collected by NOAA ships are used to update nautical charts and other essential navigation tools.
“NOAA ships are instrumental in surveying thousands of square miles of our nation’s waters every year,” said NOAA Corps Rear Adm. Chad Cary, director of the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps and NOAA Marine and Aviation Operations. “These new, state-of-the-art ships are another milestone in NOAA’s effort to recapitalize our aging fleet and ensure that we can continue to meet our mission to support safe navigation for years to come.”
Thoma-Sea is also building another class of NOAA research vessels. The 244'x51' oceanographic research ships Oceanographer and Discoverer are already in the water and scheduled for delivery in 2026.
