A retired Cape May-Lewes Ferry vessel will be sunk 26 miles off the Delaware Coast as the latest addition to an artificial reef.
The Delaware River and Bay Authority is selling the MV Twin Capes to the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control for reefing on the Del-Jersey Land artificial reef. The state agency paid $200,000 for the vessel.
Jeff Tinsman is the artificial reef coordinator for Delaware’s Division of Fish and Wildlife. He said this an opportunity for the ship to have a second life.
“As we’ve seen with some military vessels that we’ve sunk, it might have a hundred to 200-year life underwater providing habitat to fish and fishing opportunities to anglers,” Tinsman said.
Ships sunk to form these artificial reefs have also proven to be attractions to divers.
DNREC Secretary Shawn Garvin called the MV Twin Capes “one of the finest reefing candidates DNREC has ever seen.”
“As an artificial reef, it will be unparalleled as fish habitat and a spectacular dive for exploration. Adding the Twin Capes to Delaware’s artificial reef system is another investment in Delaware’s conservation economy by DNREC that also brings a trove of environmental benefits,” Garvin said.
DNREC plans to prep the MV Twin Capes to be sunk in 2018. Tinsman said crews will have to work to remove anything toxic from the vessel, including petroleum products, oil and gas. They’ll also need to strip the boat of anything that might float and any wiring bundles.
“Everything you can think of, right down to fluorescent lights, have to come out of there. The rest of it is opening the vessel up so that the water can circulate through the vessel up and make it safe for scuba divers,” Tinsman said.
DRBA actively sought a buyer for the MV Twin Capes for more than five years, before officials decided to turn it into an artificial reef.
“During the sale process, it was apparent that the market was thin for such a specialized vessel,” said Heath Gehrke, the director of ferry operations. “For us, it made sense to partner with DNREC on this artificial reef project to benefit the divers and sport fishermen of Delaware, New Jersey, and Maryland.”
The ship last traveled between Cape May and Lewes during the summer of 2013. It was then docked at the Cape May Ferry terminal as Delaware River and Bay Authority sought a buyer.
More information on DNREC's artificial reef program can be found here.
