Research ship to dock in Quonset
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AP Photo / NOAA In this photograph by NOAA, NOAA's new vessel, Okeanos Explorer, scheduled to go to sea next year as the first U.S. government vessel dedicated to exploring unknown parts of the ocean.
NORTH KINGSTOWN -- The Quonset Business Park is set to become the home port of the Okeanos Explorer, the only government ship dedicated to systematically explore unknown portions of the ocean. The board of directors of the Quonset Development Corporation on Monday approved an agreement to lease pier space in the waterfront business park to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to dock the 224-foot high-tech research vessel. Under a 10-year lease, which will go into effect July 1, 2010, NOAA will pay $600,000 annually to use Pier One in the Port of Davisville. The agreement includes an option to renew the lease for another five years at a cost $753,000 a year. As part of the agreement, the Quonset Development Corporation will construct an 8,500 square-foot building at a cost of $2.3 million to house offices adjacent to the pier to support the ship. The corporation will also spend $1.1 million on pier improvements that, according to a spokeswoman for the corporation, need to be done regardless of the agreement with NOAA. The Okeanos Explorer is a former Navy ship that was obtained by NOAA in 2005 and converted into a deep-sea research vessel. The ship was commissioned in August 2008 and is dedicated to exploring unknown portions of the ocean around the world. 
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