The Queen Mary is a mess, and no one wants to take on the headache of saving the historic boat. After taking back control of the ship, a report from the Long Beach Post says the city now wants the Port of Long Beach Harbor Commission to take control of not just the ship, but the land it’s moored next to.
If you’ve missed what’s been going on with the historic ship here’s a brief recap: After reports saying the ship needs over a quarter of a billion dollars in repairs to remain viable, another report saying $25 million was needed immediately to keep the ship from sinking into Long Beach harbor, the city took back control of the ship after its leaseholder filed bankruptcy in January.
Now, the city council is looking into a plan that would have the Long Beach Harbor Commission take control of the land it’s moored next to. The plan is facing criticism from all sides, mainly port union groups and state officials who say that the plan could negatively impact the budget for the port.
Under the plan, the port would gain control over what’s known as Pier H, which is home to not just the Queen Mary, but also the popular Long Beach cruise terminal and other businesses. Two of the main critics of the plan include the California State Lands Commission and the city manager, Tom Modica. In lengthy letters sent to the city, both the commission and Modica called for the city to explore other options. Modica says the transfer could hurt long term plans the port has saying:
“Without a thorough review and analysis of the impact of the Queen Mary transfer to the Harbor Department, it is unclear whether the Port will be able to meet its stated goals, including helping the region and state in its economic recovery.”
On June 8, the city approved $2.5 million for initial repairs, though the cost of repairing the ship completely is estimated to be in the hundreds of millions.