A massive derelict freighter that spent a decade decaying in the Miami River has found a new purpose at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. On November 18, crews successfully sent the 227-foot Borocho to the seafloor about nine miles off the St. Lucie Inlet, transforming the rusted hull into a marine habitat.
The sinking was a coordinated effort between the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Martin County Environmental Resources, and FWC Law Enforcement. Funded by the FWC’s Derelict Vessel program, the project aimed to solve two problems at once: removing a hazardous eyesore and boosting local marine life.
According to officials, the Borocho had been abandoned by a previous owner and left to rot in the Miami River. After an investigation classified the ship as a derelict vessel, the state stepped in. The FWC hired Resolve Marine Group, Inc. to handle the complex task of cleaning, moving, and ultimately sinking the freighter…