Port and USM Partnering for New Facility

The Port of Gulfport and University of Southern Miss Marine Research will soon be taking their partnership to the next level.
Last year, the port was made the home port for USM’s Point Sur research vessel. Now, plans are in the works for a 23,000 square foot research facility to go with it.
The building will feature labs, classrooms and a $5 million research pier all in hopes of getting to the bottom of how the BP oil spill, o-zone issues and other similar problems affect our sea.
With the Point Sur spending most of its time on the water, the new facility will welcome other vessels to dock right here on the Coast. Port of Gulfport Executive Director Jonathan Daniels said, “When that vessel is not there, we’ll have other research vessels to come in. the Nautilus out of Woods Hole and some of the other ones that are out there. Not only in the Gulf of Mexico, but we’ve really become the epicenter oceanographic research. When you combine that with what the City of Gulfport is looking at with the aquarium and that creates a very unique opportunity.”
Construction on the facility is expected to start in the next six months. Port officials expect the construction to last about a year.