A replica of Noah's Ark has left Ipswich after an 18-month stay which saw it detained under maritime laws.
The museum ship, owned by Dutch theatre producer Aad Peters, arrived in Ipswich in late 2019 – bringing with it a buzz of optimism to the Waterfront.
However, things soon turned difficult for the ship, with the difficulties of the coronavirus pandemic being compounded by it being detained days after arriving at the port in Ipswich.
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Coastguard bosses said the Ark was not seaworthy, key paperwork was missing, and it was racking up fines of £500 a day from April 1, according to emails and documents obtained by this newspaper under Freedom of Information laws.
Its dramatic time in Ipswich saw the Government urged to wade in to help resolve the issue, with its detention making headlines as far as Australia and the USA.
A Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) spokeswoman confirmed it had been released from its detention on June 24.
The 70m vessel left the Waterfront early on Thursday morning and will return to its home in the Netherlands.
A spokesman for Associated British Ports (ABP) said: “ABP is pleased to see that the owners of the vessel known as Noah’s Ark and the MCA have reached an agreement to allow the vessel to return to the Netherlands.
"We wish the ark and her crew a safe passage home."
The owners of the ark have been approached for comment.
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