NEWPORT — The Oregon State University Board of Trustees on Friday approved a $13 million project to improve the dock for university research vessels at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport.
The approval came during part of a two-day meeting of the college’s governing board in Corvallis.
The original dock at the Hatfield Center was constructed in the early 1960s and expanded in the 1990s. The project is necessary to accommodate the new regional class research vessel, the RV Taani, due to arrive in 2023, as well as ships that the university may operate in the future.
The 1960s portion of the dock will be replaced, and a new support system will be installed to accommodate cranes, fueling trucks and large forklifts, OSU said in a report on the meeting. The dock also will be widened, and utilities will be replaced.
