The Dublin Docklands Development Authority is negotiating to buy the replica famine ship Jeanie Johnston for €2.7 million.
The authority confirmed yesterday it is in discussion with the owners to acquire the ship as a visitor attraction on the river Liffey. The Jeanie Johnston board met at Kerry Group headquarters in Tralee, Co Kerry, on Monday night to approve the sale.
Kerry Group saved the famine ship from liquidation after its controversial construction at a cost of €15 million, and supervised its transatlantic voyage two years ago. The ship, which was designed on the original Jeanie Johnston that left Kerry for America 150 years ago, has sailed around Ireland and undertook a trip to La Coruna, Spain, last year before wintering in Dublin port.
In spite of the goodwill and public interest generated by its voyages, attempts to persuade the State to take over running the vessel for sail training purposes have failed to date.The State currently supports the sail training ship Asgard II.
Crew on the ship were informed last night of the possible purchase, but given no details of future plans. The ship has been in Cork since January, and is due to go into dry dock later this week. It is expected that it will take part in the Dublin Docklands Maritime Festival next month. It has also entered this year's Tall Ships race which starts in Waterford in July.
Des Branigan, president emeritus of the Maritime Institute of Ireland, welcomed the fact that the ship was now no longer "in limbo". The "ideal" would be to keep the ship sailing, but this would involve substantial expenditure and he could understand why the State would be loath to finance two sail training vessels. He called on the Dublin Docklands Development Authority to ensure that it kept the ship afloat if it was to avoid long-term maintenance costs, even if it was not sailing.
"The classic mistake was made in Britain with the Cutty Sark, which is going to cost £6 million [to maintain] now because it was kept in dry dock and dried out. The natural place for a wooden ship is in the water," Mr Branigan said. Polar explorer Capt Robert Scott's ship, Discovery, on which Irish explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton sailed to the Antarctic, is kept in a wet dock in Dundee, Scotland, and is not subject to such deterioration, he said.
The Jeanie Johnston is currently owned by Kerry Group plc, Shannon Development and Kerry County Council/Tralee Town Council local authorities in Kerry who bore the brunt of the debt for the ship's construction will be making repayments of more than €360,000 annually for up to 15 years.