Reef-Building Materials & Vessel Selection
Review state-permitted precast concrete forms, clean structural steel, Reef Balls®, and the qualification criteria for vessel reefing.
Environmental Clearance & Material Specifications
All substrate and vessel candidates must undergo mandatory environmental inspection and written approval by the NYS DEC Artificial Reef Coordinator before deployment.
Approved Substrate Materials
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Standards
Precast Concrete Forms
Dry well rings, high-gauge drainage pipe, utility manhole boxes, highway Jersey barriers, and heavy underground vault covers. Dense and inert.
Clean Structural Steel
Industrial building skeletons/framing, heavy bridge girders, and decommissioned municipal clean water tanks devoid of paint toxins.
Specifically Manufactured Structures
Patented Reef Balls®, modular oyster settlement structures, and specialized poured marine habitat modules engineered for juvenile nursery relief.
Clean Demolition Concrete (Mandatory Rules)
Foundations, bridge abutments, and road slabs. Strict requirement: Must be 100% devoid of petroleum contamination, hazardous coatings, and free of protruding rebar entanglement hazards.
Sources of Materials:
Concrete manufacturers, demolition contractors, municipal general contractors, heavy infrastructure firms, and private land developers looking to donate surplus inventory for tax credit.
Vessels to Reefs Qualification
Criteria for Repurposing Maritime Hulls
To be considered for artificial reefing, candidates must feature hulls constructed of Steel, Aluminum, or Ferrocement (no wooden or fiberglass composite hulls), and meet one or more conditions:
- Outlived Economic Life: Operating valuation has depreciated past viable commercial use.
- Competitor Restriction: The owner prefers reefing over liquidating equipment to a direct competitor.
- Maintenance Exceeds Valuation: Ongoing dockage, drydock repairs, and maintenance cost more than vessel value.
- Prohibitive Compliance Upgrades: Regulatory retrofit expenses surpass new vessel construction.
- Trade Obsolescence: Vessel is no longer suitable for the trade in which it was originally built and employed.
- Long-Term Layup: Idle for extended periods without maintenance, facing structural deterioration.
- Derelict & Abandoned: Poses severe environmental or navigation hazards in harbor waters.
- Beyond Economical Repair (BER): Casualties resulting from Collision, Fire, or Sinking.
Sources of Vessels:
Commercial vessel operators, commercial towing companies, marine insurance underwriters, shipyards, and municipal harbor authorities.
Have Candidate Materials or a Retired Vessel?
Learn how to arrange inspection or submit details for tax-deductible donation.