The quest to save one of Sydney’s first steam tugs has hit a snag after authorities in New South Wales deemed the heritage vessel “unseaworthy” and ordered it removed from where it is moored today.
Key points:
- More than a million dollars have already been invested in the restoration of the heritage ship
- Transport for NSW has deemed the vessel unseaworthy and an environmental hazard
- The boat’s owner says they can’t afford to move it to a dry dock to continue its work
Transport Heritage Australia volunteers have spent years restoring the Argos, which was built in Berry’s Bay in 1903.
Transport Heritage Australia founder and president Peter Duffy said they were devastated by the latest Transport for New South Wales directive.
“She’s right on the cusp of the next chapter in her restoration,” he said.
“We have so much equipment sitting in the rear wings ready to be boarded, and the regulator can turn around and choose to effectively destroy it.”
The steam tug Argos was built at Berry’s Bay in Sydney in 1903. (Supplied: Buster Browne)
Steam tugs were a common sight on Sydney Harbor in the early 20th century, but most disappeared by the 1950s and 1960s.
The Argos, formerly known as Gladys Ellison, were among the few to survive.
The wooden vessel is currently moored at Brisbane Water near Empire Bay on the Central Coast awaiting the installation of a new boiler and a second world war steam engine from of the United Kingdom.
The restoration project runs aground
But two weeks ago, plans to overhaul Eduard’s tug hit a snag when Transport Heritage Australia said it received a recall notice letter from Transport for New South Wales.
He declared that the tug was an obstruction to navigation and was not sailing:
You must therefore remove the vessel from the navigable waters of Brisbane Water to Empire Bay by 5pm on Thursday 24 November 2022 and also remove it completely from NSW waters.
The notice threatens fines of up to $5,500 and destruction of the vessel if it is deemed worthless.
Peter Duffy acknowledged that the restoration project had been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and further complicated by the closure of the nearby marina, resulting in the cancellation of local mooring licenses .
“Argos weighs 20 tonnes, is 18.5 meters long … any rational human can see that the demands cannot be met,” he said.
“The timbers will dry out, shrink, split. It’s not really feasible to get the boat out of the water without effectively destroying it.”
Peter Duffy fears the Argos will be lost forever if it is permanently removed from the water. (ABC Central Coast: Scott Levi)
Transport for NSW labeled ‘heavy handed’
Duffy criticized the government department for its “heavy-handed approach” and said there was a known shortage of moorings where ships like the Argos could legally moor.
He said there was also a recognized extreme shortage of maintenance facilities servicing the waterways around Sydney, which made any restoration process “lengthy and expensive”.
Transport Heritage Australia said if the ship was to be destroyed, it would not only be a significant historic loss, but a major blow to those involved in the long-running project, which had so far cost more than $1 million.
In a statement, Transport for New South Wales said it was “supportive of efforts to restore this ship to its former glory”.
“However, the risks posed to the environment by the vessel, and the fact that it is illegally occupying a canceled berth in Empire Bay, outweigh this,” a spokesman said.
The spokesman said that to avoid further action and “minimize the risk of a pollution incident”, the owners of the vessel were encouraged to move it to a suitable location such as dry storage or seek help from maritime historical societies.