NOAA has officially begun construction of Navigator, its second new charting and mapping vessel, after holding a traditional keel-laying ceremony in Houma, Louisiana.

The ship is being built by Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors as part of NOAA’s effort to modernise its fleet for safer and more accurate ocean mapping.

The keel-laying, a long-standing maritime tradition, symbolises the formal start of a ship’s construction. During the ceremony, the initials of the ship’s sponsor, retired NOAA Corps Rear Adm. Evelyn Fields, were welded onto a steel plate that will be built into the vessel as construction progresses.

NOAA administrator Neil Jacobs said through an official release that the agency considers platforms such as Navigator essential for improving environmental understanding and forecasting.

He also highlighted that NOAA remains committed to supporting the U.S. shipbuilding sector and looks forward to integrating advancing technologies, including uncrewed systems, into the new vessel.

The two new charting and mapping ships, Surveyor and Navigator, were first announced in 2023. According to NOAA, Surveyor is expected to be completed in 2027 and Navigator in 2028.

Both ships will support NOAA’s mission to provide accurate nautical charts and ocean mapping data for mariners transporting the $2.3 trillion worth of cargo that moves through U.S. ports and harbours each year.

Rear Adm. Chad Cary, director of the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps and NOAA Marine and Aviation Operations, said that mariners operating in U.S. waters depend heavily on NOAA charts.

He added that the upcoming state-of-the-art ships will allow the agency to continue meeting navigation needs in both established waters and developing regions such as the Arctic for many years ahead.

Reference: NOAA