The U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR) announced the shipyard responsible for constructing the next chapter in ocean exploration for Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. The new research vessel will be owned by ONR for the Department of the Navy and operated by Scripps under charter party agreement. Dakota Creek Industries Inc. (DCI) of Anacortes, Wash., will build AGOR 28, a new “Ocean Class” research vessel that will advance Scripps’ pursuits of the planet’s most vital environmental and scientific challenges. Specifically designed to operate globally, this vessel will support both U.S. Navy and national oceanographic research objectives.