NOAA oceanographic ships' plan

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced Feb. 11 that it is in the process of acquiring two new oceanographic ships as part of the agency’s fleet rebuilding. Once in service, the new ships will support a variety of missions, ranging from general oceanographic research and exploration to marine life, climate and ocean ecosystem studies. The first ship, to be named Oceanographer, will be homeported in Honolulu. The second ship, to be named Discoverer, will be assigned a homeport at a future date. Design of the vessels is currently underway and NOAA expects to award contracts for construction by the end of the year. Both will be built in the U.S. and construction timelines and target launch dates for the vessels will be determined after the contracts have been awarded. (Source: Work Boat 02/13/20) https://www.workboat.com/news/government/noaa-to-build-two-new-oceanographic/?utm_source=marketo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter&utm_content=newsletter&mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiT0Raa1ltTXdZekl5TVdJMyIsInQiOiJhM2NwRzlSRnY4aE8zT3pJRU90S01Ha1wvRWczaTJMZlpWbGx2cWRMU1wvSzlTdGpjTDhBVzJQQ2tFTkd1eGNHeWs0VmVJdkhRa0dlRlBoWHVMa3hTQ1h2bnlEVU8zeUJEVitLQWZERjhqeTZ6R3BtVlZPTVwvWmF1WXdhbFRWRUV0RyJ9.