The Nimitz Marine Facility (MarFac) is the home port and technical support center for the Scripps oceanographic research fleet. MarFac can berth up to seven ships at a time, plus the research platform FLIP, along our 110-meter finger pier and 85-meter quay wall, with complete support for cold-iron berthing including power, potable water, telecoms, broadband, and other key utilities.
The waterfront vessel berthing facilities — wharf, pier, and all utilities — were replaced and revitalized in 2016 to enable the next century of ocean research. Protection of the environment is part of our mission, and MarFac hosts a variety of programs to promote sustainable programs and minimize our impact while strengthening our ability so support expeditionary research.
Located on Point Loma in San Diego Bay, the six-acre MarFac campus serves as the logistical and technical support hub for Scripps's worldwide ocean research program. The administrative offices of our Ship Operations & Marine Technical Support are located at MarFac, along with with machine shops, instrument repair and calibration facilities, scientific staging and short-term storage areas, shipping/receiving facilities and a host of other specialized capabilities that support Scripps ocean research around the globe.
MarFac sometimes also serves as a point of embarkation or debarkation for academic research cruises staged aboard vessels operated by other institutions within the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS), should they visit San Diego.
Access to the waterfront areas at the Nimitz Marine Facility is restricted. For more information, check out access restrictions at the Nimitz Marine Facility.
R/V Robert Gordon Sproul operated continuously for 15 months on 100% renewable diesel fuel sourced from non-fossil feedstocks, demonstrating our ability to operate vessels using sustainably-produced fuels that add no net CO2 to the atmosphere. Read more.