Calcasieu Pass sunk by DNREC to create more marine habitat, angling and dive opportunities

Delaware’s DNREC has sunk the Calcasieu Pass to expand the state’s artificial reef system, aiming to create more marine habitat as well as angling and diving opportunities. The offshore oilfield supply vessel—180 feet long with a 40-foot beam—was placed on Reef Site 13, known as the Del-Jersey-Land Reef centerpiece, after environmental remediation and approvals. Built in 1982, the ship later joined the East Coast menhaden fleet and operated for decades processing Atlantic menhaden. DNREC says marine organisms will gradually colonize the structure, building a bottom-up ecosystem. The sinking was carried out by Coleen Marine in Norfolk, Virginia, following U.S. EPA and Coast Guard clearance.