Renters have returned to the newly renovated marina at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute in Port Aransas. The $6.5 million project was completed earlier this year and the slips reopened for business Feb. 1. 
Already in disrepair, the pier was further damaged by Hurricane Harvey, which hit in August 2017. Money to renovate came from the Texas Legislature, the University of Texas at Austin, UTMSI director discretionary funds, and the Aransas-Corpus Christi Pilots, an organization that guides ships through the Corpus Christi Ship Channel and the Aransas Pass. 
Improvements on the facility, which was first built in the 1950s, include the entire replacement of the bulkheads, docks, and ramp. Also upgraded or added were ADA ramps, lighting, hydraulic lifts, and floating docks. 
Although private boat owners may rent slips at the marina, its main purpose is to serve the institute’s fleet of research vessels. Docked at the marina is the R/V Kathy, a boat used for educational field trips. Slip rentals help support maintenance of the marina. 
The pilots also dock their vessels at UTMSI along with boats from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 
The entire UTMSI campus was badly damaged by the 2017 Category 4 storm and is still closed to the public as rebuilding continues.