NOAA invests $99.6 million in modernization of research vessel Henry B. Bigelow

The U.S. agency NOAA has awarded JAG Ketchikan LLC (Ketchikan, Alaska) a contract for the comprehensive modernization of the research vessel Henry B. Bigelow. The contract is valued at $99,637,544. Work is scheduled to begin after the conclusion of the 2027 research season and is expected to take about 14 months.

The Henry B. Bigelow is part of NOAA’s 15‑ship fleet and operates off the U.S. East Coast. It collects data on fish stocks and ocean conditions that form the basis for catch limits, protection measures, and analyses of climate and ecosystem dynamics.

With the investment, NOAA aims to extend the ship’s service life and equip it for future scientific demands. Upgraded sensors, navigation systems and data processing capabilities are intended to improve precision, safety and data quality during missions.

Stable platforms and consistent measurement series are critical for long‑term monitoring programs. Updating survey equipment, echo sounders and laboratory spaces will improve the accuracy of stock assessments, while more capable data systems will ease the transmission and analysis of large datasets onshore.

During the shipyard period, other vessels in the fleet will need to fill gaps in the schedule to avoid interruptions to ongoing surveys. Continuity is especially important for time series in fisheries monitoring, since breaks in data can impair comparability.

Choosing a comprehensive modernization instead of building a new vessel extends operational life in a cost‑effective way and allows new technologies to be integrated without the higher purchase costs and longer downtime associated with a newbuild.

Coastal communities, fisheries managers and industry benefit from robust stock data. Complementary measurements of temperature, salinity, currents and oxygen levels improve models of marine systems and help assess climate impacts on ecosystems more precisely.

The investment strengthens NOAA fleet observation capacity and supports informed decision‑making in research, conservation and resource management.