Officials from the Department of Commerce and NOAA gathered on July 8, 2026, to mark the official opening of the agency’s brand-new Charleston Port Facility in South Carolina, celebrating the completion of a major upgrade to NOAA’s marine infrastructure.
The new facility will serve as home port for NOAA ships Ronald H. Brown and Nancy Foster, strengthening the agency’s ability to carry out vital research missions across the Atlantic Ocean.
The vessels that operate out of NOAA’s Atlantic fleet gather data that supports a wide range of critical functions — from protecting marine mammals, coral reefs, and historic shipwrecks, to managing commercial fisheries, creating nautical charts that keep mariners safe, and deploying buoys that monitor ocean and weather conditions and provide tsunami warnings.
NOAA Administrator Neil Jacobs, Ph.D., spoke at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, saying: “Today, we cut the ribbon on an innovative, next-generation maritime home port. This crucial investment in our marine infrastructure will help ensure NOAA’s fleet can continue to deliver the critical observations and data that protect lives, strengthen our economy, and advance our nation’s security.”
Back in 2023, NOAA awarded a $59.8 million contract to Manson Construction Company to overhaul its pier facility in North Charleston. The project involved tearing down the existing pier and constructing a new floating pier measuring 62 by 360 feet, complete with shoreside power connections for docked ships. The renovation also added a warehouse and a small boat pier to support day-to-day operations. The new floating pier — considered one of the largest of its kind in the United States — was successfully launched and placed into position earlier this year.
Rear Adm. Chad M. Cary, who serves as NOAA Corps director and assistant administrator for NOAA Marine and Aviation Operations, emphasized the facility’s importance: “This pier and facility are integral to safe and efficient research ship operations in the Atlantic. The new infrastructure allows both NOAA ships homeported in Charleston to once again have designated berths and better accommodate research missions in the area.”
Commerce Department Deputy Secretary Paul Dabbar and NOAA Administrator Neil Jacobs, Ph.D., were among the dignitaries who participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
NOAA’s Office of Marine and Aviation Operations oversees a fleet of 15 vessels, including hydrographic survey ships, oceanographic research vessels, and fisheries survey ships. These ships operate both domestically and internationally, crewed by a combination of NOAA commissioned officers and civilian professional mariners.
