Video: 180-Foot Retired Offshore Supply Vessel Sunk Off Delaware To Create Artificial Reef

Delaware has sunk the 180-foot Calcasieu Pass off the Sussex County coast, turning the retired vessel into an artificial reef that will provide new habitat for marine life and create opportunities for fishing and diving.

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) said the ship was placed at Reef Site 13, also known as the Del-Jersey-Land Reef.

The site is offshore, roughly equal distance from ports in Delaware, New Jersey and Maryland, and lies east of Bethany Beach.

The Calcasieu Pass is 180 feet long and has a 40-foot beam. Its structure is expected to attract reef fish and invertebrates. Over time, marine life such as mussels, barnacles and corals are expected to grow on the vessel and help form a developing reef habitat.

“The addition of this vessel to our reef system continues DNREC’s commitment to improving marine habitat while giving retired maritime vessels a new purpose beneath the waves,” DNREC Secretary Greg Patterson said.

DNREC’s Division of Fish and Wildlife spent $285,000 in federal Sport Fish Restoration funds to buy the vessel and prepare it for use as an artificial reef.

Ship’s long working history

The Calcasieu Pass was built in 1982 and originally worked as an offshore oilfield supply vessel. It supported offshore oilfield operations until 1989, when it was converted into an Atlantic menhaden fishing vessel.

The ship then spent more than 30 years operating from Reedville, Virginia, in the Atlantic menhaden reduction industry. Menhaden are processed into products such as fish oil, pet food, lipstick and cosmetics.

The ship was named after Calcasieu Pass, a bend of the Calcasieu Ship Channel near Lake Charles, Louisiana, at the mouth of the Gulf of Mexico. The area is known for liquefied natural gas production.

The vessel’s new role as an artificial reef brings its working life to an end while allowing it to remain part of the marine environment.

Delaware’s artificial reef programme

Reef Site 13 is known as the Del-Jersey-Land Reef because of its location relative to Delaware, New Jersey and Maryland. DNREC describes it as the centerpiece of Delaware’s artificial reef system.

Delaware has 14 permitted artificial reef sites in the Delaware Bay and Atlantic Ocean. The programme began in 1995.

The reefs attract species including tautog, black sea bass, triggerfish, scup and spadefish. Other predators are also drawn to the sites by baitfish that gather around the reef structures.

The Calcasieu Pass will add another large structure to Reef Site 13. DNREC expects marine organisms to gradually settle on the vessel, creating additional habitat for fish and other aquatic life.

Environmental checks before sinking

The sinking was carried out by Coleen Marine, a Norfolk, Virginia-based marine contractor that has handled several vessel deployments for DNREC’s artificial reef programme.

DNREC said the Calcasieu Pass was sunk only after receiving approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Coast Guard for environmental cleanliness and safety.

Before a vessel is used as an artificial reef, it undergoes extensive preparation to meet applicable federal and state environmental requirements.

The new reef is expected to support marine habitat while offering additional opportunities for recreational anglers and deep-water divers. DNREC said its artificial reef programme also contributes to Delaware’s coastal and conservation economies.

Reference: delaware gov