Hawaii has put the last sail-driven oil tanker in the world up for auction after three attempts to move the ship from Honolulu Harbor have failed.
The 280-ft, four-masted Falls of Clyde is being offered for sale by auction by the Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) Harbors Division with inspections of the ship at Honolulu’s Pier 7 to take place on Friday 15 February.
Sealed bids must be received no later than 11am on 28 February and will be announced publicly later that day.
Preservation organisation Save Falls of Clyde International has been trying to bring the ship back to Scotland where it was built to avoid a sale likely to lead to the vessel being scrapped or possibly sunk as a dive site.
A $1.5m bond will need to be lodged by any buyer to guarantee removal of the ship within 60 days. If no bid is received, HDOT will most likely scrap the ship.
Hawaii’s port authorities plan to rebuild the dock where the vessel is berthed to provide modern container terminals for Matson and Tote Maritime in 2020.
The iron-hulled Falls of Clyde was built at Port Glasgow on Clydeside by AE Russell in 1878 and converted in 1907 to carry molasses and oil.
Three efforts, involving heavylift company OHT and Sevenstar Yacht Transport, to move the vessel from Honolulu have failed in the past six months, for reasons the preservation society claims are beyond its control. In the last couple of weeks the ship has begun to leak, requiring pumping and hull patches.
Save Falls of Clyde had hoped to renovate the ship and sail it again with plans to host cadet training and adventure holidays, carrying fair trade cargoes, collecting ocean plastic waste and conducting scientific research to bring in the revenues that can assure its future.
Save Falls of Clyde International director David O’Neill says the organisation has received another offer to move the ship but it cannot be done until June, and Hawaii has rejected that plan.
A dive inspection and survey, plus hull cleaning are likely to be needed before transporting the ship across the world.
That journey is expected to provide sponsorship opportunities through the sale of advertising space on the hull and sails, gaining media exposure during calls at San Diego, Costa Rica, Fort Lauderdale and New York.
O’Neill said he is contacting various organisations in Scotland that have previously shown interest in helping the preservation project, and is trying to find a fundraiser.
He has also appealed to Scottish politicians to show support for the heritage project that promises the use of new carbon-free technology, education, community opportunities and jobs.
The ship was open as a public museum for many years with Honolulu port supporting the local charity Friends of Falls of Clyde by not charging fees for its berth from April 2009 to August 2016, but then the Harbors Division served notice that the ship had to be moved.
HDOT spokesman Tim Sakahara told TradeWinds that the authorities had “made several attempts to partner with supporters to return the vessel to its place of origin”.
“It is ultimately the responsibility of the Friends of Falls of Clyde, as the registered owner, to remove its vessel,” he said.
The local friends group had sought permission to move the ship to nearby Pearl Harbor.
Save Falls of Clyde estimates it requires $20m to cover the cost of transport, berthing and renovation. O’Neill says it has got backing from British firm GMR Marketing, which has put together the sponsorship package, and hopes to create a record-sized flotilla on the vessel’s return to the Clyde.
A just giving page has been set up, https://www.gofundme.com/save-the-falls-of-clyde-before-she-is-gone-forever, but time is running out for this historic vessel.
