'Unseaworthy' $4.75m Noah's Ark stuck in stalemate
A hulking 70-metre replica of Noah's Ark has been stuck at a UK port for 18 months because it is unseaworthy.
With the vessel clocking up fines worth hundreds of dollars every day, the Ark's owners can't set sail from Ipswich Waterfront despite wanting to leave England.
The $4.75 million floating biblical museum has been docked at Orwell Quay since November 2019.
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The replica of the biblical Noah's Arc in Schagen, Netherlands, before it was towed to the UK. Getty
A Freedom of Information request has now revealed that the giant Ark has been effectively detained at the port, because it is regarded as unseaworthy.
The Ipswich Star reported an "impossible standoff" between authorities in the UK and Netherlands.
Dutch TV and theatre producer Aad Peters owns the Ark, which houses a variety of displays which tell biblical stories.
Visitors boarding the wooden ship, which is half the size of the Ark in the bible, can see exhibits of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel and the nativity scene.
Mr Peters has said he wanted the Ark to create a "talking point" for people from all backgrounds.
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Johan Huibers, builder of the Ark, sits near his 70-metre-long replica constructed of steel and American cedar in 2005. Getty
For now, the ship's lack of proper paperwork is the talk of the town.
"The vessel, Noah's Ark will remain detained until all the deficiencies have been put right and a Maritime and Coastguard Agency surveyor is invited back by the owners to check that they have been corrected," a spokesman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said.
He did not disclose specific details of the deficiencies.
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