Maintenance

Once the ship has been scuttled and has started to attract marine life in its first throws of becoming a sustained reef habitat, the site will need to be maintained.

In addition to the three main marker buoys on the reef, four 'cardinal' buoys may also be required to be tethered to concrete blocks on the seabed to the north, south east and west of the reef as a warning to shipping that there is a submerged object in the area.

The marker buoys will need annual maintenance to ensure they remain effective. This is expected to cost £12,000 per year.

The reef itself will also need to be maintained to remove any diver entanglement hazards or other dangers that develop over time. This is expected to cost £5,000 per year, but is planned to utilise volunteer divers to carry out the majority of the low hazard work. Professional commercial divers would be contracted to carry out any more hazardous operations that may be required.

In addition to the physical work required to maintain the reef and access to it. There will be an on-going liability insurance cost that will need to be met. The annual cost of this is expected to be £20,000.

The Sussex Marine Trust will need to budget for the educational resources needed to fulfil its object concerning education about the marine environment. This is expected to require £5,000 per annum.