Ronald H Brown News

Seattle-based deck machinery company Markey Machine said it has recently secured a contract from Bollinger Mississippi Shipbuilding for winch refurbishment aboard NOAA research vessel Ronald H. Brown. The three Markey oceanographic winches that have been aboard for 27 years will receive varied upgrades.“NOAA is working to maximize the service life of each of its vessels, in part by investing in mid-life repairs,” said Jamie LeCompte, NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown project manager.

Bollinger Shipyards has begun fabrication at its newly acquired Mississippi repair facility, Bollinger Mississippi Repair, in preparation to refit the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (“NOAA”) Ship Ronald H. Brown, the largest ship in NOAA’s fleet. The overhaul is expected to extend the vessel's life, first launched in 1996, by an additional 15 years. Work is scheduled to be completed by the summer of 2024.“Here on the Gulf Coast, we’re intimately familiar with the breadth and importance of NOAA’s mission…

NOAA Capt. Anne K. Lynch has assumed command of the agency's Marine Operations Center-Atlantic in Norfolk, Va., which manages the day-to-day operations of the nine research and survey ships in NOAA's Atlantic fleet. Each year these ships conduct dozens of missions to assess fish and marine mammal stocks, conduct coral reef research, collect seafloor data to update nautical charts, and explore the ocean. Lynch relieves NOAA Corps officer Anita Lopez, who has served as the center's commanding officer since June 2012.

VT Halter Marine, Inc. held a keel laying ceremony for T-AGS 66 USNS Maury, which is currently under construction at Halter Moss Point. In December 2009, VT Halter Marine was awarded a contract of approximately $87M to build an enhanced version of the T-AGS 60 Class oceanographic survey ship for the U.S. Navy. Delivery of the vessel is expected in July 2013. T-AGS 60 Class ships are designed and constructed to provide multi-purpose oceanographic capabilities for typical missions such as: oceanographic sampling and data collection of surface, midwater and ocean floor parameters; launching, recovering, and towing scientific packages, both tethered and autonomous…

Tugboats puff out more soot for the amount of fuel used than other commercial vessels, and large cargo ships emit more than twice as much soot as previously estimated, according to the first extensive study of commercial vessel soot emissions. Scientists from NOAA and the conducted the study and present their findings in the July 11 issue of the journal Geophysical Research Letters. The primary sources of soot, or small particles of black carbon, are fossil fuel combustion, wildfires, and burning vegetation for agricultural purposes.