b'MEMBER NEWSThoma-Sea Holds Keel-laying Ceremonyfor NOAA Research VesselT he National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA),theU.S. NavyandThoma-SeaMarineCon-structors(TMC),LLC.,heldakeel-laying ceremony at the end of October for Discoverer, a new oceanographic research vessel being built for NOAA. TMC is a PVA member. The keel-laying ceremony marks the beginning of a ships construction. Second Gentleman DouglasC.Emhoffwasnamedtheships sponsor. In keeping with maritime tradition, the initials of the ships sponsor were welded onto a steel plate that will be incorporated into the ship as it is built.The 244 Discoverer will support a wide variety ofNOAAmissions,rangingfromoceano-graphic research and exploration to studying marinelife,climateandoceanecosystems. Discoverer and its sister ship, Oceanographer, will incorporate the latest clean energy tech-nologies,includingvesselemissioncontrols and high-efficiency diesel engines. Walter Thomassie. The highly collaborativeThe U.S. Navy awarded a $178 million con-Following an evaluation of potential locationseffortbytheThoma-Sea,NOAAandU.S.tract in 2020 to TMC for the design and con-in 2019, it was determined that Discoverer willNavyteamswillresultinahighlyefficient,struction of this new class of NOAA vessels. be homeported in Newport, R.I. The ship isstate-of-the-art vessel that will serve for manyThe new ships will operate with a crew of 20 expected to join the NOAA fleet in 2026 andyears with a reduced carbon footprint. and will accommodate up to 28 scientists. will support ocean research, exploration and the development of new marine technologies to increase our understanding of the ocean.PHOTO COURTESY OF NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATIONNOAA ships play a vital role in supportingWe take the heat, safenavigation,commerce,marineresource managementandoceanexploration,saidso you dont have to.NOAAAdministratorRickSpinrad,Ph.D. Cool. Because you need it. TheseAmerican-builtshipswillgreatlyin- So no matter where you operate, hot days crease our ability to provide data that protectand heavy loads will never slow you down. lives and livelihoods while also strengthening theNewBlueEconomythatisdrivenby knowledge derived from the ocean.The other new ship being built in Houma, La., for NOAA, Oceanographer, will be home-ported in Honolulu, Hawaii. The acquisitionGRIDCOOLERWEKA Omega LaserTranter ofDiscovererandOceanographerispartofKeel Cooler Boxcooler Plate SUPERCHANGERNOAAs effort to revitalize and modernize its fleet of research and survey ships. TMC is very excited to begin constructionfernstrum.com| 1.906.863.5553| sales@fernstrum.com on Discoverer, which will be essential to theISO 9001:2015continued study and monitoring of the health2022 R.W. Fernstrum & Company. All rights reserved. FERNSTRUM and GRIDCOOLER are registered trademarks of R.W. Fernstrum & Company. All of our oceans, said TMC Managing Directorother trademarks cited are the property of their respective owners.39 NOVEMBER 2022'