In 2026, Delaware sank a 180-foot former oilfield supply ship that later processed menhaden; its final assignment is to provide habitat on an Atlantic artificial reef

In August 2026, Delaware added the Calcasieu Pass, a 180-foot retired menhaden fishing vessel, to its artificial reef network off the Delaware coast. According to the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), the objective of the deployment was to create marine habitat and expand opportunities for recreational fishing and diving. The vessel was built in 1982 as an offshore oilfield supply ship and was later converted into an Atlantic menhaden fishing vessel in 1989. Subsequently, it spent more than three decades in the menhaden reduction industry, operating from Reedville, Virginia, before it was repurposed to rest beneath the waves. The project was spearheaded by Coleen Marine, a Norfolk, Virginia-based marine contractor who had handled numerous deployments across Delaware’s permitted reef sites, including the Reedville in 2020.From an offshore working vessel to an artificial reefThe Calcasieu Pass was originally commissioned for offshore oilfield operations. Outdoor Delaware identifies Bay Shipbuilding Corporation as the vessel’s builder, and the announcement, published in 2026, recorded its conversion to an Atlantic menhaden fishing vessel in 1989. After its conversion, it operated in the Atlantic menhaden reduction industry, which processed the fish into products such as fish oil and pet food.Subsequently, the vessel was transferred to Coleen Marine for reefing by its former operator, which had transferred the ship to the contractor in 2024 for a nominal purchase price of $1, as per National Fisherman. The transfer made way for the retired vessel to be prepared for another purpose rather than continue its former commercial operations. The 180-foot vessel was sunk on 12 August 2026 and placed on the Del-Jersey-Land Reef, which already contained large reefed vessels, including the ex-USS Arthur W. Radford.Delaware’s wider network of artificial reefsThe Calcasieu Pass joined a network of 14 permitted artificial reef sites distributed across Delaware Bay and the Atlantic coast. DNREC’s Artificial Reef Programme shows that the state began deploying reef materials in 1995 and, under its programme, only cleaned, stable construction materials, boats and subway cars were used to establish underwater habitat.Redbird Reef is perhaps the most recognisable of these sites, and is approximately 16 miles offshore from the Indian River Inlet. The site covers 1.3 square miles of the ocean floor and contains more than 700 retired New York City subway cars. The wider programme has used more than two million tons of rock, 100,000 tons of concrete, 86 tanks and armoured personnel carriers, more than 1,350 subway cars and 32 retired vessels. However, establishing the structure led to addressing the geographical limitation of the mid-Atlantic seabed that is dominated by sand and mud, unlike regions with extensive natural rocky outcrops or coral reefs. Only through artificial structures are surfaces created where invertebrates can establish communities, providing food and shelter for fish. The organisms colonising the Calcasieu Pass are expected to include mussels, barnacles and corals.Funding and economic impact There is a substantial economic return for this entire initiative, with an estimated spending of $7 million annually in Delaware's coastal economy. The calculation includes anglers’ expenditure on food, accommodation, bait, tackle and boating. In 2025, the sites recorded more than 18,000 boat trips by anglers.Furthermore, the programme operates under environmental controls, with support from federal funding for its development. The Calcasieu Pass received $285,000 from federal Sport Fish Restoration funds, rather than state funding specifically allocated to the deployment.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.