The SS United States wants more time to move. It still doesn’t know where or how.
And the list of suitable and available piers is getting shorter.
The stewards of the SS United States, also known as the Ikea Boat and formerly the “Queen of the Seas,” have asked a federal judge to let the vessel stay in its South Philadelphia berth until December.
In its court filing, the SS United States Conservancy argued that an additional 90 days are needed to sort out the complicated logistics of moving an almost 1,000-foot ocean liner that hasn’t been capable of self-propulsion for decades. It would also help postpone the move until after the hurricane season.
“America’s Flagship is in a race against time,” said Conservancy president Susan Gibbs in a statement. “While we are doing everything possible to meet the court’s deadline, some factors are beyond the Conservancy’s control.”
The Conservancy was in a yearslong rent dispute with its landlord, Penn Warehousing. The tenant took issue with a sudden doubling of rent and the landlord argued the rent couldn’t remain flat, nor could the ship stay at Pier 82, forever.
The spat culminated in a two-day trial in federal court where U.S. District Judge Anita B. Brody ultimately gave each side a partial victory in June. The Conservancy wouldn’t be on the hook for the rent raise but it would have to move by Sept. 12.
The Conservancy immediately launched an SOS, asking supporters for help raising half a million dollars for the move. The Conservancy said it raised $100,000 so far.
In its filing asking Brody to reconsider the deadline, attorneys said moving the SS United States in “adverse weather conditions could be catastrophic.” What’s more, the Conservancy asked Brody to take into account the time it will take to conduct stability assessments of the vessel, acquire insurance, and get the U.S. Coast Guard to approve its tow plan to its next home.
Still, the SS United States’ next stop is still up in the air and the suitable options are dwindling. The Philadelphia Navy Yard can’t take in the ship and the Virginia Port Authority has no suitable docks available, according to court filings. The Maryland Port Authority, the North Carolina State Ports Authority, the South Carolina Ports Authority, the Georgia Ports Authority, and the Florida Ports Council have similarly been unable to find suitable docks available by September.
Newport News Mayor Phillip Jones has expressed interest in becoming the next host, but there are no piers available there either.
While the Conservancy is prioritizing preserving the ship, it is in discussion with scrappers and Florida officials interested in sinking the vessel and turning it into an artificial reef, but even these options would require an extension in the move-out date, according to the Conservancy.
Not moving in time could cost the Conservancy millions. At the beginning of the month, Penn Warehousing warned the stewards that they would seek to find them in contempt of court and require them to pay an annual rent or service fee of $3 million.
In a statement, Penn Warehousing attorney Craig Mills suggested the Conservancy has had plenty of time to move the vessel already.
“When questioned on how long it would take to move the ship, Ms. Gibbs testified that it would take a minimum of 60 days and a maximum of 120 days,” said Mills. “The Court’s Final Order gave the Conservancy 90 days — dead in the middle of the Conservancy’s own estimate.”
Penn Warehousing will be opposing the Conservancy’s motion, said Mills.