Ketchikan Shipyard Gets $99M NOAA Contract
NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow, named for a pioneering oceanographer, has been in service for nearly twenty years and is due for an overhaul in Ketchikan.
Photo Credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
A nearly $100 million contract from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) keeps JAG Marine Group (JMG) busy at the state-owned Ketchikan Shipyard. NOAA awarded the company $99,637,544 for the Henry B. Bigelow Modernization and Revitalization Program, bringing a science vessel to Ketchikan for upgrades.
Additional Federal Backlog
The work involves replacing the propulsion system on board the NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow with variable speed Tier 4 generators, lighter and more efficient motors, and new radars, cranes, pumps, fans, and fire detection system. The overhaul will also increase the number of single-person staterooms.
The contract commenced June 10, 2026, and extends through April 14, 2029. NOAA expects Bigelow will return to service in time for the 2029 field season.
The award represents a major expansion of multiyear federal vessel modernization work supporting Alaska’s maritime industrial base, as JMG continues ramping up activity at the Ketchikan Shipyard. JMG became the operator last year after the facility’s owner, the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA), ended a twenty-year relationship with Vigor Alaska.
Under the new partnership, JMG aims to triple or quadruple revenue coming into the shipyard through 2027 and increase employment by 100 full-time positions or more. When the changeover happened late last year, work had just begun on the NOAA Ship Rainier.
Current Issue
July 2026
“The investment being made in the NOAA vessels will allow them to fulfill their responsibilities well into the future,” says JMG President Doug Huff. “JMG is encouraged by the continued faith the NOAA team has placed in the JMG.”
Since JMG assumed operations, employment at the Ketchikan Shipyard has increased from roughly fifteen workers at the time of transition to approximately 150. The Henry B. Bigelow Midlife Extension Program is expected to support continued workforce growth and operational expansion.
“This contract is welcome news for Ketchikan and for the skilled men and women who make the shipyard such an important part of our local economy,” says Ketchikan Mayor Bob Sivertsen. “The continued growth of work at the Ketchikan Shipyard means more family-supporting jobs, more opportunities for young people to enter the trades, and a stronger economic foundation for our community and Southeast Alaska. The shipyard is an economic driver that is poised for growth within our community.”
The scale and complexity of the Henry B. Bigelow Midlife Extension Program is expected to drive additional demand for skilled maritime labor, including core trades and specialized engineering, electrical, mechanical, and fabrication expertise. The federal project also is expected to support more stable year-round employment by adding long-duration vessel modernization work beyond seasonal Alaska Marine Highway System maintenance cycles.
“A contract of this scale has the potential to create meaningful opportunities for students, apprentices, and workers across the region,” says Charles Edwardson, director of the Generations Southeast POW Campus, a community learning center of the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. “For our campus and our workforce partners, this kind of long-term investment supports a stronger pipeline of local talent and helps prepare Southeast Alaskans for good-paying jobs close to home.”
Investing in Upgrades
NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow near its homeport in Newport, Rhode Island.
Photo Credit: Katherine McGinnis | NOAA Marine and Aviation Operations
NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow was commissioned in 2007 and is homeported in Newport, Rhode Island. The ship’s primary mission is to study and monitor fish stocks in the North Atlantic. The ship also conducts habitat assessments and surveys marine mammal and seabird populations from Maine to North Carolina.
“NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow is a vital part of NOAA’s fleet” says NOAA Administrator Neil Jacobs. “These critical improvements to the Bigelow will allow NOAA to meet our mission, improve our surveys, and continue to ensure responsible, science-based management of our nation’s world-class fisheries.”
Bigelow is one of NOAA’s fifteen research vessels. NOAA is working to maximize the service life of each of its vessels through long-term maintenance planning and tracking.
“Modernizing the shipboard technology will improve the Bigelow’s efficiency and operational safety, while ensuring that future research performed by the ship continues to be cutting edge,” says Rear Admiral Chad M. Cary, NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps director and NOAA Marine and Aviation Operations assistant administrator. “By investing in these upgrades, we are investing in the future of NOAA’s science missions along the US East Coast.”
NOAA has begun modifying other ships in its fleet to perform Bigelow’s mission while it undergoes maintenance in Ketchikan.
