# Presentation: 321060

## Briefing for NOAA’s

**Hydrographic Services Review Panel**
**________________**
**Briefing by**
**Captain Stephen H. Manzo, NOAA (Ret.)**
**Executive Officer, NOAA Marine Operations Center**
**July 29, 2004**

## Purpose of This Briefing:

-  Present overview of *Report of NOAA’s Ship Platform Requirements FY 2003 – FY 2012* to NOAA’s Hydrographic Services Review Panel
-  Internal NOAA report – Begun August 2002; Completed May 2003;  Currently being updated
-  Copy of original report located at:
- 	_http://205.156.48.106/00003389/00021d31.pdf_

## Background: 

- Why? -- Response to DUS Scott Gudes’ Memo of July 30, 2002:  *Request for Report of NOAA’s Platform Requirements*
-  What? -- 10-Year Analysis of NOAA’s Ship Platform Requirements and Recommendations on How Best to Fulfill the Requirements
-  Who? --  NMAO with input from and in coordination with the NOAA Line Offices
-  How? – Based on Ship Platform Requirements as identified by NOAA Line Offices

## Background: 

-  Report was fast-tracked – 3 month deadline for initial submission to VADM Lautenbacher
-  Copy provided to U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy
-  Report briefed to NOAA Science Advisory Board
-  Otherwise, it has been primarily used as an internal NOAA plan during the past 12- 18 months -- to help guide decisions regarding the NOAA fleet
-  Please note that all items recommended in this Report are not necessarily included in NOAA’s current programming or budget request

## Six Mission Areas:

- 1) fisheries surveys and science
- 2) nautical charting/hydrographic surveys
- 3) blue water oceanography, climate and weather services
- 4) coastal oceanography
- 5) ocean exploration
- 6) homeland security

## Assumptions:

- 1) NOAA’s Line Office reviews and documentation of ship platform requirements are valid
- 2) NOAA will meet its ship platform requirements using an appropriate mix of outsourcing and NOAA-owned and operated ships
- 3) Money will be tight and NOAA must be cost effective;   conversion of surplus Navy vessels is a cost effective option for meeting NOAA’s ship platform requirements

## Common Definition/Performance Metric:

-  Operating Day - “A day when a ship is not at its home port and is available for service”
-  Consistent with the way days are expressed in the academic fleet and private sector

## Useful Service Life and Average Age:

-  Report assumes a “Useful Service Life” of 30 years for NOAA ships – consistent with the UNOLS academic research fleet plan
-  Based on 30 year useful service life, Report recommends NOAA set an “Average Age” goal of 15 years for the NOAA fleet – with ships ranging from 0 – 30 years
-  For a NOAA fleet of ~20 ships, this implies a long-term, replacement strategy of ~ one ship every 18 months.

## Defining and Documenting Requirements:

-  Two Mission Areas – Fisheries Surveys and Science and Nautical Charting/Hydrographic Surveys – have well-documented, recent studies and reports on ship platform/data acquisition requirements that were reviewed and updated for this report
-  Two Mission Areas – “Blue Water” Oceanography and “Coastal” Monitoring and Assessment had requirements documented in FRAM Report, September 1990, that were reviewed and updated for this report
-  Two Mission Areas – Ocean Exploration and Homeland Security –  reviewed and defined their requirements for this report

## FY 2003 Ship Platform Requirements

-  12,200* Operating Days – total requirement for all mission areas.
-  4,680 Operating Days – 38% of requirement – to be met by Outsourcing.
-  3,670 Operating Days – 30% of requirement – to be met by NOAA fleet of 15 ships.
-  3,830 Operating Days – 32% of requirement – expected to be unmet for FY 2003.
- * Does not include NOS contracts for Hydrographic Data

## NOAA Ship Platform Utilization during the Past Decade

- -- Significant Changes in NOAA’s Business Practice.

## NOAA’s Ship Platform Requirements and Plan for the Next Decade

## FY 2012 Ship Platform Requirements

-  14,500 Operating Days – total requirement for all mission areas – 19% increase from FY 2003.
-  Recommended Approach/Solution:
-  7,980 Operating Days – 55% of requirement – to be met by Outsourcing.
-  5,350 Operating Days – 37% of requirement – to be met by NOAA fleet of 18 ships.
-  1,140 Operating Days – 8% of requirement/ up to 6 ship-years remaining To Be Determined.

## Performance Schedule:

## Projected Service Life & Replacement Schedule of NOAA Ships (May 2003):

## Average Age and Number of Ships (May 2003 – corrected version):

## Nautical Charting/Hydrographic Survey Requirements:

-  Requirements for hydrographic data based on Office of Coast Survey’s *National Survey Plan* (November 2000) – updated w/ 2002 data
-  Requirements for maintaining federal expertise and for replacing NOAA’s hydrographic fleet based on 2000 Report to Congress – *Maintaining Federal Expertise and Capability in Hydrographic Services*
-  Cost-benefit analysis of in-house, contract, and time charter resources was prepared by KPMG Consulting for NOAA in September 2001

## National Survey Plan:

* **Navigationally Significant* -- 538,000 snm (approximately 16% of 3.4 million snm EEZ)
-  *Critical Backlog *-- 43,000 snm (approximately 8% highest priority portion of Navigationally Significant Area)
-  *Resurvey Areas -- *5,000 snm (areas of Critical Backlog and Navigationally Significant that require periodic surveying due to silting, shoal migration, and new obstructions in shipping channels)

## National Survey Plan:

## Current Status:

-  In FY 2004, NOAA’s hydrographic survey rate is approximately 2,800 snm per year (vice 9,500 snm requirement)
-  At this rate, the remaining 29,000 snm of Critical Backlog is not expected to be completed until the year 2016
-  At this rate, requirements for Resurvey Areas and Navigationally Significant Areas are not being met

## To meet requirements, NOAA must:

-  Complete the remaining 29,000 snm of Critical Backlog
-  Begin surveying 1,000 snm per year in Resurvey Areas in order to maintain a 2-7 year cycle
-  Obtain 100% bottom coverage surveys in all Navigationally Significant Areas, and periodically resurvey them on a 50-60 year cycle
-  In order to fully address these core requirements _NOAA needs to survey 9,500 snm per year_ (Note:  This is more than 3 times the current rate)

## Options for Increasing Capability by FY 2012:

## Advantages of NOAA In-House Vessels (2001 KPMG Analysis):

## Two Options for meeting NOAA’s Nautical Charting Requirements:

-  Both options phase in additional data acquisition resources gradually with the goal of meeting 9,500 snm by FY 2012 (Note:  Option 1 is lowest cost option)
-  Option 1 -- 6 NOAA Hydrographic Survey ships by FY 2012 (THOMAS JEFFERSON, SWATH, FAIRWEATHER Replacement, RAINIER Replacement, New 2-Launch Atlantic/Gulf/Caribbean, and New 2-Launch Pacific/Alaska); 100% increase in Hydro Contracts; One Additional            2-Launch Time Charter;  LIDAR Contracts
-  Option 2 – 5 NOAA Hydrographic Survey ships by FY 2012 (all except New 2-Launch Pacific/Alaska); 200% increase in Hydro Contracts;  Two Additional 2-Launch Time Charters;  LIDAR Contracts

## Option 1:  6 NOAA Ships/100% Increase in Hydro Contracts/One Time Charter:

## Option 2:  5 NOAA Ships/200% Increase in Hydro Contracts/Two Time Charters:

## The NOAA Fleet - Changes in FY 2003/2004:

-  4 ships removed from service/replaced with newer ships  converted for NOAA missions:
-  TOWNSEND CROMWELL/OSCAR ELTON SETTE
-  FERREL/NANCY FOSTER
-  MCARTHUR/MCARTHUR II
-  WHITING/THOMAS JEFFERSON (commissioned July 8, 2003 in Norfolk)
-  3 ships added to NOAA fleet:
-  FAIRWEATHER (conversion) – Reactivation ceremony scheduled for August 18, 2004 in Ketchikan
-  HI’IALAKAI (conversion)
-  OSCAR DYSON (new construction)

## The NOAA Fleet - Changes in FY 2003/2004:

-  NOAA active fleet expanded from 15 to 18 ships
-  USNS ASSERTIVE (T-AGOS 9) acquired from U.S. Navy as future replacement for DAVID STARR JORDAN

## The NOAA Fleet – Expected Changes in FY 2005/2006:

-  Expect to acquire USNS CAPABLE (T-AGOS 16) from U.S. Navy as an additional ship for Ocean Exploration.  Conversion likely to occur in FY 2005/2006.  Begin operations TBD.  When activated NOAA fleet would expand to 19 ships.
-  Ship Disposals:
-  MCARTHUR transfer to Utrok Atoll pending
-  FERREL transfer/disposal pending
-  WHITING transfer to Mexico – Legislation pending

## The NOAA Fleet – Expected Changes in FY 2007/2008:

-  HENRY B. BIGELOW (FSV2) operational in FY 2007 -- overlaps/replaces ALBATROSS IV in FY 2008
-  FSV3 – Additional Fishery Survey Vessel for SE operational in FY 2007.  Temporarily expands NOAA fleet to 20 ships – eventually replaces DELAWARE II when FSV6 comes on line to replace OREGON II
-  FSV4 – Additional Fishery Survey vessel shared by SW and NW operational in FY 2008.  Expands NOAA fleet to 21 ships.
-  SWATH – operational in FY 2008 – replaces RUDE; homeported in New Hampshire
-  USNS ASSERTIVE (T-AGOS 9) converted FY 2007 to replace DAVID STARR JORDAN in FY 2008

## Summary:

-  NOAA is working hard to modernize its aging fleet and to maintain federal expertise – in hydrographic services – and in other program areas, as well
-  The majority of NOAA fleet modernization in the recent past and immediate future has been in the area of fisheries surveys and science

## Summary (con’t):

-  _Ship Acquisition/Conversion_ -- NOAA has acquired/converted 6 T-AGOS ships from the U.S. Navy and is expected to soon acquire a 7th (CAPABLE – dedicated for Ocean Exploration).
-  3 T-AGOS ships dedicated for fisheries programs (GUNTER, SETTE and ASSERTIVE/DSJ)
-  2 T-AGOS ships serve multiple programs (MCARTHUR II and HI’IALAKAI)
-  1 T-AGOS ship dedicated for TAO array (KA’IMIMOANA)

## Summary (con’t):

- _ __Ship Acquisition/Conversion_ -- NOAA has also acquired/converted 1 YTT and 1 TAGS-51 from the U.S. Navy
-  YTT-12 -- NANCY FOSTER replaced FERREL dedicated for coastal oceanography programs on the east coast
-  TAGS-51 – THOMAS JEFFERSON replaced WHITING dedicated to nautical charting/hydrographic survey programs on the east coast

## Summary (con’t):

- _ __New Construction_
-  4 new, purpose built Fishery Survey Vessels already in pipeline
-  2 additional FSV’s currently in 10-year plan – different from first 4 (long-liner for Hawaii;  shallow-draft for GOM)
-  1 additional FSV (MILLER FREEMAN replacement) under consideration
-  SWATH vessel to replace RUDE for nautical charting/hydrographic surveys on east coast in pipeline

## Summary (con’t):

-  _Modernization/Reactivation_
-  FAIRWEATHER modernization is now complete and the ship will be soon be reactivated and dedicated to nautical charting/hydrographic surveys in Alaska.  Homeport is Ketchikan, Alaska.  Given the significant investment involved, expect the ship to stay in service another 10-15 years vice being replaced in FY 2012.

## Questions/Discussion