[From the U.S. Government Printing Office, www.gpo.gov]






                     II--pecial Report No. 38
                              of the

                 ATL@TIC STATES
                 ALILMNE FISHERIES
                      COMMISSION


                             ST











                                CO



              The Role of Vessels as Artificial Reef
           Material on the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico
                   Coasts of the United States


     SH
     157-85
     A7
     G7                 December 1994
     no.38
     1994














                                  The Role of Vessels as Artificial Reef Material on the
                                       Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Coasts of the
                                                     United States

 CIO




                                                          by
                                            Kurtis Gregg and Steve Murphey
                                      North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries
                                                  Morehead City, NC




 LrN
                                             Prepared in Cooperation with
                              The Atlantic and Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commissions'
                                               Artificial Reef Committees







                                                       Edited by
                                                  Richard T. Christian
                                           Sport Fish Restoration Coordinator













                                                    December 1994











                                                     Preface


                Funding for this project was provided through a cooperative agreement (grant no. 14-48-
           0009-93-1256) between the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and the U.S. Fish and
           Wildlife Service Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Program (WaHop-Breaux).









                                                     Acknowledgements


                     The Commission gratefully acknowledges the efforts of the Artificial Reef Committee in
                preparation, and review of this document. Special thanks goes to the members of the Artificial
                Reef Committee of the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission for their assistance and
                participation in the state survey. Thanks also goes to the North Carolina Division of Marine
                Fisheries for donating the time of Mr. Gregg and Mr. Murphey to work on this project.











                                                              Table of Contents





               Preface   ......................................................................................................      i
               Acknowledgements         .......................................................................................      ii
               Table of Contents      .........................................................................................     iii
               List of Tables and Figures        ...............................................................................    iv
               Introduction    ................................................................................................      I
               Historical Use of Vessels by Atlantic and Gulf Coast States             .........................................     I
               The Role of P.L. 92-402 in Artificial Reef Program on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts                     .............  2
               The Future Use of Vessels in Artificial Reef Programs on the Atlantic and
                      Gulf Coasts of the United States        ..................................................................     5









                                                                          List of Tables and Figures




                       Table 1:            The average amount of money spent for construction of artificial reefs
                                           using vessels per year for the past five years by the respondent programs                                 ........       8

                       Figure 1.           Number of Vessels used as Artificial Reef Material in three regions of the
                                           United States         ..............................................................................                     9


                       Figure 2.           Size of Vessels used as Artificial Reef Material off the Atlantic and Gulf
                                           Coasts of the United States                      ...............................................................       10


                       Figure 3.           Types of Vessels used for Construction of Artificial Reefs off the
                                           Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the United States                              ..........................................  I I


                       Figure 4.           Types of Ships Used as Artificial Reefs off the Atlantic and Gulf
                                           Coasts of the United States                      ...............................................................       12


                       Figure 5.           Hull Composition of Vessels used as Artificial Reef Material off the
                                           Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the United State                              ............................................ 13


                       Figure 6.           Number of P.L. 92-402 Ships Deployed by Atlantic and Gulf Coast States of the
                                           United States by Year            ....................................................................                  14


                       Figure 7.           Proportion of P.L. 92-402 Ships Deployed as Artificial Reef Material
                                           During Two Eras of Artificial Reef Construction                                ....................................... 15

                       Figure 8.           Number of P.L. 92-402 Ships Deployed as Artificial Reefs During
                                           Two Eras of Artificial Reef Construction by Year                        ....................................           16













                                                                                            IV











                                                       INTRODUCTION



                     Artificial reef programs have traditionally relied upon vessels as the primary source of
             material for artificial reef construction. Over the past several years, the increasing cost of preparing
             these vessels and the fluctuating availability of suitable craft have led several states to use other
             types of reef materials. In spite of these problems, vessels still play a major role in many state and
             local artificial reef programs. This survey was developed to assess the role of vessels as artificial

             reef materials in the Gulf and Atlantic States.



                     Information was collected regarding the historical use of vessels as artificial reefs. Special
             interest was given to the use of vessels obtained under Public Law 92-402, also known as the
             Liberty Ship Act. This act enabled states to acquire derelict Liberty ships from federal reserve

             fleets for use as artificial reef material. The law was later amended to include other classes of

             vessels. The survey also sought to obtain information to assess the future roe of vessels as
             artificial reefs and in particular, vessels obtained under P.L. 92-402 (as amended). The survey
             was distributed to state artificial reef program coordinators from Massachusetts through Texas.



                  HISTORICAL USE OF VESSELS BY ATLANTIC AND GULF COAST STATES


                     Construction of artificial reefs using vessels has occurred primarily off Atlantic Coast states
             (58%) and Florida (34%). Gulf Coast states have not used vessels extensively (8%           ) (Figure 1).
             This trend is even more apparent in the past five years during which 135 vessels were deployed off
             Atlantic Coast states and one vessel was deployed off a Gulf Coast state.


                     The majority of vessels used for construction of artificial reefs is small (Figure 2). Vessels
             150' length overall (LOA) or less comprise 77% of all vessels used as artificial reefs by the
             respondent agencies. Vessels less than 75'LOA represent 47% of all vessels used. Medium sized
             vessels (151-300'LOA) represent 14% and large vessels (>300'LOA) only account for 9% of the


                                                                 1










                 vessels used as artificial reefs off the Atlantic and Gulf Coast states.



                         Barges (33%) and landing craft (28%) are the primary types of vessels used as reef
                 materials by Atlantic and Gulf Coast states (Figure 3). Ships of all classes account for 14% of
                 vessels on artificial reefs. Barges, landing crafts and ships comprise 75% of all vessels used as
                 artificial reefs by respondent agencies. The remaining 25% of all vessels includes tugs (8%),
                 fishing vessels (7%), miscellaneous other vessels (7%) and drydocks (3%) (Figure 3).


                         While ships only represent 14% of all vessels on artificial reefs off Atlantic and Gulf Coast
                 states, they attract the most media attention and usually represent the largest expenditure of artificial
                 reef construction funds. Most ships used as artificial reefs are transports (56%) which include
                 Liberty and Victory ships (Figure 4). Tankers represent 2 1 % of all ships. The remaining types of
                 ships used for artificial reef construction include cargo ships (6%), dredges (4%), warships (2%)
                 and miscellaneous other types of ships (11%).


                         Hull composition of vessels used as artificial reefs is primarily steel (87%) (Figure 5).
                 Wood hulls represent I I% of all vessels on Atlantic and Gulf Coast reef sites. Other hull types
                 including ferro-cement and fiberglass only account for 2% of all vessels used as artificial reefs off

                 Atlantic and Gulf Coast states.





                         THE ROLE OF P.L. 92-402 IN ARTIFICIAL REEF PROGRAM ON THE
                                                 ATLANTIC AND GULF COASTS


                         Forty-one vessels have been used as artificial reefs off Atlantic and Gulf Coast states under
                 Public Law 92-402 (P.L. 92-402) excluding Florida. The majority of these vessels went to Texas
                 (29%), North Carolina (20%) and Virginia (15%) (Figure 6). Interestingly, 54% of the P.L. 92-
                 402 vessels were deployed- off three Gulf Coast states. The remainder were deployed from
                 Georgia through New Jersey on the Atlantic Coast (Figure 6). The majority of P.L. 92-402
                 vessels were deployed from 1974 through 1978 (Figure 7). No vessels were obtained under this










             law from 1979 through 1987 (Figure 8). In 1984, P.L. 92-402 was amended by P.L. 98-623 to
             include ships other than the Liberty Class for artificial reef construction. Only 15% of all P.L. 92-
             402 vessels were deployed from 1988 through 1992 (Figure 7).


                    Four states have not deployed any P.L. 92-402 ships: Massachusetts, New York, Rhode

             Island and Louisiana. Atlantic Coast states that used P.L. 92-402 vessels for artificial reef

             construction include Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. Maryland deployed a

             submarine that was obtained under P.L. 98-623. Gulf Coast states that have used P.L. 92-402

             vessels include Alabama, Mississippi and Texas. Information reporting the use of P.L. 92-402
             vessels by programs in Florida was unavailable.


                    Most states report the application process for P.L. 92-402 vessels is acceptable. North
             Carolina and South Carolina commented that the application process takes too long and needs to be
             streamlined. All respondents contracted out the preparation, cleaning and towing of P.L. 92-402
             vessels as a package. Inspection of vessels prior to sinking is usually done by the United States
             Coast Guard at the request of the Environmental Protection Agency. The vessels deployed off
             Virginia were inspected by Lloyds of London. The only problem reported with the inspection
             process was with a vessel deployed off New Jersey. The preparation and cleaning were conducted
             in North Carolina which is in the Fifth Coast Guard District. It was then towed to New Jersey for
             deployment which is in the Second Coast Guard District. Cosmoline, a petroleum based protective
             coating used on machinery, parts of vessels, and fuel tanks was allowed to repair on the vessel by
             the Fifth Coast Guard district if the compartments containing it were filled with water and the
             hatches sealed shut. The Second Coast Guard District balked at passing the inspection until EPA
             sent a letter saying Cosmoline was not a major concern.


                    Availability of P.L. 92-402 ships has always been uncertain. Several states report getting
             conflicting information from the Maritime Administration regarding availability of specific vessels.
             This problem was cited as the reason why Virginia has not deployed any P.L. 92-402 vessels since


                                                              3










                 the 1970's.



                         Programs sinking P.L. 92-402 vessels report using explosives as the method of choice for
                 deployment. Four states report using military personnel for their explosives work - North Carolina
                 and Georgia used United States Marine Corps personnel; Virginia and South Carolina used United
                 States Navy personnel for their explosives work. These military groups use the artificial reef
                 deployment as a training exercise and provide the explosives as well as the personnel. The New
                 Jersey State Police Bomb Squad conducted the explosives work in that state. Texas reports using
                 private contractors in the 1970's for the explosives work on their twelve P.L. 92-402 vessels.
                 Transportation of these contractors and explosives was provided by the United States Coast

                 Guard.



                         Only three states report being required to maintain buoys on their reef sites: North Carolina,
                 Georgia and Texas. States using existing aids to navigation or no marking include: New Jersey,
                 Virginia, South Carolina and Alabama.


                         Comments on the topic of P.L. 92-402 vessels by state:


                         South Carolina -     Scrappers are getting most of the MARAD fleet. If the
                                                 PCB problem can be cleared, it would be good to set aside some
                                                 Victory ships before they are gone.


                         New York -              Does not have enough funding to get any P.L.. 92-402 vessels.


                         Virginia -              Could not get more ships due to conflicting reports from MARAD
                                                 on the availability of ships.


                         Maryland -              Maryland creates problems for itself by not releasing donors of reef
                                                 materials from long-term liability.

                                                                    4











                     Texas -                  Lighted buoys were required. This made marking costs exorbitant -
                                              - $25K/buoy/year plus acquisition costs.




                  THE FUTURE USE OF VESSELS IN ARTIFICIAL REEF PROGRAMS ON THE
                             ATLANTIC AND GULF COASTS OF THE UNITED STATES


                     The types of vessels that best suit the future needs of artificial reef programs on the Atlantic
              and Gulf Coasts include medium and large ships >150'LOA (7 states), steel barges and tugs (7
              statesj, small steel vessels :!@150' LOA (6 statesj, landing craft (4 states) and wood vessels (1
              state). Louisiana and Texas report no vessels are needed for future reef construction because they
              are using derelict oil platforms for artificial reefs.





























                                                                 5











                        Respondents to this survey showed strong agreement on the potential benefits and
                problems associated with using surplus vessels for artificial reefs that have been stripped and
                salvaged prior to being transferred to an artificial reef program. The primary benefit seen in this
                scenario is that reef programs could save money if the vessels were cleaned to United States Coast
                Guard specifications when they were salvaged (63% of respondents). The greatest potential
                problem with using previously salvaged vessels is that salvageable materials would no longer be
                available to offset cleaning and transportation costs (44% of respondents). Other potential
                problems seen by respondents were:


                        -  Structural integrity and stability of the vessel may be adversely affected by salvage
                           operations. (25% of respondents)


                        -  Salvage operations may exacerbate problems with contaminants such as asbestos and
                           PCBs. (13% of respondents)



                        -  Salvage operations may reduce complexity or profile of the vessel too much. (13% of
                           respondents)



                        Artificial reef programs on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts use a wide variety of funding
                sources for vessel construction projects. Private donations (38%) provide the majority of funding
                for vessel construction in respondent's programs followed by miscellaneous sources (25%), no
                funding for vessels (17%), Federal Aid in Sportfish Restoration (13%) and state funds (8%). The
                average amount of money spent for construction of artificial reefs using vessels per year for the
                past five years is presented in Table I for the respondent programs. Some states had little or no
                funding for vessels until recently. For the comparison, the funding was divided over the five year
                period even if only one year actually had all the funding. Several Gulf Coast states were not
                interested in vessels due to the Rigs to Reefs Program.


                                                                6










                     Respondents were asked if vessel availability was not a consideration, how many vessels
             could their program fund and deploy in the next 5 years. Programs from New York through
             Georgia could fund and deploy 13 large ships (>150'), 87 small ships (:!:-,.l50'), and 25

             unidentified vessels. Louisiana and Texas are not interested in vessels. Alabama could fund and

             deploy 25 to 30 unidentified vessels, however this program's emphasis is currently on using tanks
             as artificial reef material. The three major factors that keep programs from using vessels as
             artificial reefs are funding (69% of respondents), pollutants such as PCBs and asbestos (31% of
             respondents), end concerns regarding permitting and liability (13% of respondents).


                     Since this survey was conducted, members of the ASMFC Artificial Reef Advisory
             Committee were told by the Environmental Protection Agency that deployment of vessels
             containing PCBs violates the Clean Water Act. While this finding has not been put in writing,
             pending the completion of a study by the U.S. Navy, most states do not want to risk procunng a
             surplus military ship and not being allowed to deploy it on an artificial reef. This development
             reduces the importance of ex-military ships to artificial reef programs, however non-military
             vessels such as freighters, tugs and barges are still viable artificial reef materials. These types of
             vessels will continue to be an integral part of most artificial reef programs on the Atlantic Coast of

             the United States.










               Table 1. The average amount of money spent for construction of artificial reefs using vessels per
                         year for the past five years by the respondent programs.




                      a=

                      North Carolina       $63K

                      Georgia              $20K

                      South Carolina       $18.5K

                      New Jersey           $40K
                      Maryland             $6.5K

                      New York             $IK

                      5 states             $0



















                                          55 (8%)





                                             ;Z:::
                                            :X:@kU:U:Up







                                                                                       East Coast

                                                                                     IN Florida
                        228 (23%)                                   383(58%)        E Gulf Coast









            Figure 1. Number of Vessels Used as Artificial Reef Material in Ilree Regions of the United
                       States.














                                                           9























                                                                                              64        (14%)                                                                                                214 (47%)






                                                                44 (10%)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       E Less than 75 ft
                                                                                                                                                               os:.
                                                                                                                                                          ...............
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       0 76 to 150 ft
                                                                                                            . . . . . . ....................                   11,11 It

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       E Over 300 ft
                                                                                                                                                          XE               e-E-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       IN 151 to 300 ft
                                                                                                                  135           (30%)











                                              Figure 2. Size of Vessels Used as Artificial Reef Material off the Atlantic and Gulf Coast States
                                                                               of the United States.













                                                                                                                                                                                        10





















                                                  68(14%)

                                                                                                         136(28%)
                    38(8%)                                                                                                0 Landing Craft
                             ............


                                   ......                                                                                     Barges
              34(7%                                                                                                       U11 Dry Docks

                                                                                                                              Fishing Vessels
                           ............
                           ................
                             ........                                                                                         Other
              332 (&%"
                                                                                                                              Tugs
                                    12(3%)                                              158(33%)                          0 Ships (all classes)







                Figure 3. Types of Vessels Used as Artificial Reef Material off the Atlantic and Gulf Coast States
                               of the United States.









                      4(6%)    3(4%)   10%)

              7(11-0/,)
                            ...............
                                 - - ----                                      Transport


                       ... . ..........
                                                                            9N Tankers
                   ......... ..... .........

                                                                               Other

                                                                               Cargo

                                                                               Dredge

                                                                               Submarine
                                                ...... .... .....
                                              ... ... ........ .
                                                                38(56%)
                   14(21%)                                                     Warship












            Figure 4. Types of Ships Used as Artificial Reef Material off the Atlantic and Gulf Coast States
                     of the United States.














                                                 12













                       53(11%)                    ..... ... 10(2%)

                                  ............ ......
                                   .................
                                                   M


                                             . ...... O'K



                                                                                           414(87%)





                                                                                                     Steel

                                                                                                  EJ Wood

                                                                                                     Other












            Figure 5. Hull Composition of vessels Used for Artificial Reef Material off the Atlantic and Gulf
                       Coast States of the United States.













                                                           13









                     2(5%)     2(5%)   21(2%)             12(30%)        Texas
                         ............. .
             5 (12%)       ......
                           .............

                             .............
                              ...... ....                              M North Carolina
                              ..........
                             .. ........

                               ........ .....
                               ....... .....
                                                                       M Virginia

                                                                       El Alabama
                             ik.


                .......       ...    gg-
                                                                       EH Mississippi

                            ..........-                                El South Carolina
            5(12%
                                                           8(19%)      0 Georgia
                         6(15%)                                          New Jersey










            Figure 6. Number of P.L. 92-402 Ships Deployed by Atlantic and Gulf Coast States as Artificial
                     Reef Material.













                                                14




















                                          6(15%)




                                                                                                   -WO-
                                                                                                    @g

                                                                                                '10






                                                                                               ...... X.
                                                            MW IK:

                                                                 ....N --- ----------
                                                                     mg@  S.
                                                                      nz
                                                   @zx z-g'-...
                                                            ..............
                                                                 0
                                                            -4ff":     gl-
                                                                     lzm
                                                             Sim
                                                                                                                          35(85%)
                                                              INK,;x,
                                                                                                                                                        1974-1978
                                                                  X'O
                                                                                                                                                   M 1988-1992












                   Figure 7. Proportion of P.L. 92-402 Ships Deployed as Artificial Reef Material During Two Eras
                                    of Artificial Reef Construction.













                                                                                             15






























                         1992         1
                         1991         1
                         1990         1
                         1989         1
                         '98                 2
                    1979-1987 0
                         1978                                                     7
                         1977         1
                         1976                                                                            10
                         1975                                                     7
                         1974 OEM=                                                                      10

                             0        1     2       3      4      5       6      7       8      9      10

                                                              NUMBER







               Figure 8. Number of P.L. 92-402 Ships Deployed as Artificial Reef Material During Two Eras of
                         Artificial Reef Construction by year.










                                                         16




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                                                                         3 6668 14103 4852












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