Artificial Reef News

When people hear about underwater reefs, they usually picture colorful gardens created from coral. But some reefs are anchored to much more unusual foundations.For more than a century, people have placed a wide assortment of objects on the seafloor off the U.S. coast to provide habitat for marine life and recreational opportunities for fishing and diving. Artificial reefs have been created from decommissioned ships, chicken transport cages, concrete pipes, rail cars and more.We study how ocean-dwelling fish use artificial reefs in the U.S. and beyond.

HII announced its Newport News Shipbuilding division partnered with the Virginia Marine Resource Commission (VMRC) to donate and sink a former dry dock caisson gate offshore, giving it new life as part of an artificial reef.Caisson gates are used at the harbor end of a dry dock, with pipes inside allowing for water from the James River to enter when NNS needs to flood the dry dock. This particular gate, originally put into service at NNS in 1967, was part of a dry dock no longer in use at the shipyard.NNS crews worked to prepare the caisson gate…

The U.S. Coast Guard and Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) are monitoring periodic discharges of oil from the Liberty Ship Thomas Heyward, a World War II era vessel sunk in 1977 to serve as an artificial reef approximately six miles southwest of Destin, Fla.Following Hurricane Sally in September 2020, the National Response Center (NRC) began receiving reports of pollution in the vicinity of the artificial reef. Coast Guard personnel conducted preliminary investigations…

Fifteen companies from 11 countries were selected by a panel of industry experts, investors and entrepreneurs for the 6th PortXL acceleration program in Rotterdam. Starting in September, they will spend three months in Rotterdam. The PortXL team and its large network of expert mentors and partners will support them in validating their technologies and scaling their businesses. The program will end on December 2, when the signed contracts between innovators and corporate partners, such as Port of Rotterdam and Van Oord, will be announced at the Shakedown event.

The U.S. Navy has begun the process to remove the island from the USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) as part of an ongoing inactivation availability for the warship that was destroyed by a major fire in 2020.Salvage contractor Smit Americas started the removal process Tuesday, the Navy said. Workers will reduce the island's height down to just above the flight deck to improve the ship’s structural integrity and readiness for tow.The Navy announced at the end of 2020 it would scrap the…

The U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) is seeking the public's help in determining the future of the world's first nuclear-powered merchant ship.The NS Savannah was built by New York Shipbuilding Corp. and launched in 1959 as part of President Dwight D. Eisenhower's Atoms for Peace Program to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy. The ship was removed from service in 1971 and the reactor was defueled. Registered as a National Historic Landmark since 1991, the ship is currently part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF) in retention status.

U.S.-based marine data acquisition services company TDI-Brooks said it recently mapped the Liberty Ship George Vancouver off Freeport, Texas while out on a seabed survey project with the R/V Brooks McCall. The multiple multi-phase geophysical and geotechnical site surveys program consisted of pipeline routing and subsea structures to facilitate route and project design for offshore developers.Equipment used to map the ship was a Teledyne Reson SeaBat T-20 multibeam sonar with integrated Applanix POSMV for Motion.

The Galveston Bay Foundation recently honored the volunteer efforts of Aramco Services Company (ASC) with its “Guardian of the Bay” award. This award recognizes ASC’s “leadership, work, and commitment for the betterment of Galveston Bay.”According to a press note  the director of Public Affairs Abdulrahman A. Bayounis and Strategic Communications supervisor Alma S. Kombargi accepted the award on behalf of ASC.“ASC is proud to partner with the Galveston Bay Foundation to revitalize such a precious resource,” said Bayounis. “I would like to recognize the efforts of our ASC volunteers who come out year-after-year to give their time and…

Sinking a 6,000-ton, 371-foot former cargo vessel to help create an artificial reef in the Gulf of Mexico is a herculean feat, one only accomplished with strict adherence to rigorous federal and state environmental regulations. When the cargo ship Kraken was recently sunk 67 miles off the Galveston coast, Matrix New World Engineering helped the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department Artificial Reef Program ensure that the vessel was free of environmental hazards and safe to support coral, fish, sea turtles and other aquatic life.

The auction for the rights to the wind farm off the coast of New York has encountered pushback from fishing groups concerned about the impact a large-scale wind project will have on the access to prime fishing areas. The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) was set to administer the lease sale on December 15, when a petition to delay the auction was presented to the federal court. The U.S Bureau of Ocean Energy and Management (BOEM) requires an extensive stakeholder marine spatial planning process that de-conflicts the wind energy area prior to the Point of Sale Notice (PSN).

There is no word yet on what is to become of the bulk carrier Los Llanitos, the 38,000-tonne ship that went aground near Barra de Navidad, Jalisco, during Hurricane Patricia on October 23, says the Mexico News Daily. On Saturday, October 24, the bulk carrier Los Llanitos ran aground on rocks near Punta Graham, Barra de Navidad, some 25 nautical miles north of Manzanillo, Mexico, Pacific coast. The ship was pushed aground by hurricane Patricia. She was berthed in the port, but asked to meet the hurricane in open seas, when the strong winds and current pushed her aground at the rocks. The removal of fuel and chemicals was completed on November 26, says a report issued by a salvage company.

The guide helps to identify countermeasures to avoid human errors and bad decisions. Discover how to manage the human element on all levels – from the engine room, to the bridge, to the shore. From our summary of “The Human Element – A Guide to Human Behavior in the Shipping Industry,” we examine the chapters “Making Sense of Things” and “Risk Taking,” breaking down the most relevant information. Dirk Gregory and Paul Shanahan of the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency developed the original guide. People are surrounded by vast amounts of information and need to make sense of it all.

Port Everglades received key federal clearance to begin the next phase of deepening and widening its channels. The port now can seek Congressional funding for a project that would generate thousands of jobs and maintain the region's leading position in international trade. The Army Corps of Engineers approved the plan to deepen the port's main channels from 42 to 48 feet, as well as deepen and widen part of the Intracoastal Waterway, to accommodate the larger cargo ships that now navigate the world's trade routes. "After almost two decades of study and research, we are confident that the Corps has developed a plan that keeps Port Everglades competitive globally so that jobs are sustained and created locally," said Broward County Mayor Tim Ryan.

A primer for those interested in Artificial Reefs as a way to dispose of old offshore structures, rigs and ships. The quandary of what to do with a non-productive well and the associated rig structures has always plagued offshore operators. As federal and state regulations begin to tighten in terms of what has to be done, and when, oil and gas principals are taking a new look at alternatives to removal. Hence, when an operator is looking at options for decommissioning, reefing should be one of the first considerations.

Feds issue Interim Guidelines for reefing old rigs at the same time that NOAA identifies myriad potentially polluting shipwrecks. Salvage opportunities abound. In late June, the U.S. Interior Department revised its interim policy for defunct, offshore oil-and-gas platforms, making it easier to turn them into artificial reefs under an initiative by the agency’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement or BSEE. Separately, and at virtually the same time, a new NOAA report that examines national oil pollution threat from shipwrecks has been presented to the U.S. Coast Guard.

Joe Farrell needs no introduction to the marine salvage community or, for that matter, MarineNews readers. Originally from the Boston, Mass., area, he began by enlisting in the United States Coast Guard, eventually attending the U.S. Navy diver school, becoming a ship’s diver. After two years at sea and diving in Arctic waters, he volunteered for service and became an explosives advisor, offloading ammunition ships in Vietnam. Eventually, Farrell became a civilian diver at the U.S.

Researchers use side-scan & multi-beam sonar to get a good picture of what the passage of the storm did to the sea bed. Beneath the 20-foot waves that crested off Delaware's coast during Hurricane Sandy, thrashing waters reshaped the floor of the ocean, churning up fine sand and digging deep ripples into the seabed. Fish, crustaceans and other marine life were blasted with sand as the storm sculpted new surfaces underwater. University of Delaware (UD) scientists cued up their instruments to document the offshore conditions before…

The Navy’s first Canberra-Class Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) warship arrives at its Victoria, Australian home for the next 12 months. The LHD01 hull has been transported from Spain to Australia by Heavy Lift Ship, Blue Marlin, taking around eight weeks for the 12,000 nautical miles ( approx 18,520 km) to deliver the first LHD. Senior Project Manager for Dockwise, Frank Berrens, said that he was proud the company could assist in the delivery and provide the hull to BAE Systems ready to commence work on the next phase.

1989: The cutter Mesquite ran aground near Keweenaw Point in Lake Superior. She was deemed damaged beyond repair and was sunk as an artificial reef. There was no loss of life. (Source: USCG Historian’s Office)

An expert in ocean and coastal towing, Smith Maritime, needed dependable diesel power when its 90 ft Elsbeth III was in need of repowering prior to towing the 520 ft USS Hoyt S. Vandenberg to the Florida Keys. The Vandenberg was sunk six miles offshore, becoming Florida's largest artificial reef. The company turned to Laborde Products, who had previously supplied Smith Maritime with Mitsubishi heavy-duty marine propulsion engines and ordered three new 1,180 hp Mitsubishi S12R-Y1MPTA engines. "We're 100% satisfied with these engines," said Capt. Latham Smith, Smith Maritime founder.

International salvage company, Resolve, is helping to repair damage done by the maritime industry through a pioneering coral reef replacement system. From its U.S. base in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Resolve has developed a technique to effectively grow coral and anchor it to the seabed atop custom‐made underwater structures. Resolve has completed the environmental remediation of the 910 ft long decommissioned Navy aircraft carrier ex‐Oriskany. Resolve was awarded the project by the US Navy and successfully prepared and sank the vessel for reefing purposes off the coast of Pensacola…

By Chief Journalist Milinda D. The ex-USS Oriskany (CVA 34), the last Essex-class aircraft carrier in the fleet’s inactive ship inventory, served the Navy for more then 25 years, maintaining a powerful presence during the Korean War and the Vietnam conflict. Decommissioned September 1976, the ship is ready to do more sea time, only this time beneath the surface, serving as an artificial reef. “Artificial reefing benefits the economical environment of the respective state receiving the ship by relieving stress on the natural reef,” said Capt. Lawrence M. Jones Jr., program manager for the Inactive Ships Program Office, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA).

Stolt Offshore reported it has successfully completed the Eugene Island 275A platform salvage project for Total E&P USA, INC., in what is described as the first platform salvage using only mechanical cutting devices. The platform was located on OCS-G-0988, some 70 miles off the Louisiana coast in 180 ft. of water. "Because of environmental and safety objectives, Total E&P USA asked Stolt to conduct the salvage operation without an arc being struck under water, using remotely operated tools as much as possible," said Allan Palmer, Stolt's regional manager of regional projects and operations in Houston. Stolt Offshore located heavy duty cutting tools that could be modified or redesigned to be used remotely underwater. Iberia, La..