National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has awarded a $99.6 million contract to JAG Marine Group subsidiary JAG Ketchikan LLC to complete a major technology upgrade and maintenance package for the Henry B. Bigelow, one of NOAA’s primary fisheries research vessels operating along the U.S. East Coast.
The contract, valued at $99,637,544, will fund an extensive 14-month overhaul at Ketchikan, Alaska, beginning after the vessel’s 2027 field season. NOAA expects the vessel to return to service in time for the 2029 field season.
Commissioned in 2007 and homeported in Newport, R.I., the Henry B. Bigelow is one of NOAA’s 15 research vessels and serves as a key platform for fisheries stock assessments in the North Atlantic. The vessel’s work supports NOAA’s management of commercial fisheries by collecting data on fish populations, habitat conditions, and marine ecosystems from Maine to North Carolina.
The overhaul centers on a propulsion modernization that will replace the vessel’s current system with variable-speed Tier 4 generators, lighter and more efficient motors, and upgraded control technologies aimed at improving fuel efficiency and operational reliability.
Additional maintenance work will include replacement of pumps, fans, cranes, radar systems, and the vessel’s fire detection system. Interior modifications are also planned, including an increase in single-occupancy staterooms for crew and scientific personnel.
NOAA said the upgrades are intended to extend the service life of the 208’ fisheries survey vessel while improving mission readiness and safety.
To maintain survey coverage during the vessel’s downtime, NOAA has already begun shifting some operations to other ships in its fleet. NOAA’s 208’ research vessel Pisces was recently modified to conduct bottom trawling operations typically handled by the Bigelow, allowing fisheries surveys and data collection along the East Coast to continue during the refit.
