The retired offshore supply vessel Calcasieu Pass has begun a new role beneath the Atlantic after Delaware deployed the 180-foot vessel as an artificial reef off the Sussex County coast.
The vessel was placed at Reef Site 13, also known as the Del-Jersey-Land Reef, east of Bethany Beach. The offshore site is positioned between ports in Delaware, New Jersey and Maryland.
Built in 1982, Calcasieu Pass entered service as an offshore oilfield supply vessel. It remained in offshore support operations until 1989 before being converted for the Atlantic menhaden fishing industry.
The vessel then operated for more than three decades from Reedville, Virginia. It served the menhaden reduction industry, which processes the fish into products including fish oil, pet food and cosmetics.
Its latest deployment brings that commercial career to an end. Calcasieu Pass, which has a 40-foot beam, will now serve as a reef structure intended to provide habitat for marine life.
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control expects reef fish and invertebrates to use the vessel. Mussels, barnacles and corals are also expected to establish on the structure over time.
DNREC’s Division of Fish and Wildlife used $285,000 in federal Sport Fish Restoration funds to purchase Calcasieu Pass and prepare the vessel for reef deployment.
Before the sinking, the vessel was prepared to comply with applicable federal and state environmental requirements. DNREC said approvals covering environmental cleanliness and safety were received from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Coast Guard.
Norfolk, Virginia-based marine contractor Coleen Marine carried out the deployment. The company has previously handled several vessel placements for DNREC’s artificial reef programme.
Reef Site 13 is described by DNREC as the centerpiece of Delaware’s artificial reef system. Across Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, the state operates 14 permitted artificial reef sites under a programme established in 1995.
The reef sites attract species including tautog, black sea bass, triggerfish, scup and spadefish. Baitfish gathering around the structures also draw other predators.
For Calcasieu Pass, the sinking marks another transition in a working life that began in offshore oilfield support and later moved into commercial fishing. The former OSV will now function as part of Delaware’s artificial reef system while providing habitat for marine life and additional opportunities for fishing and diving.
