The quest to save one of Sydney's first steam tugboats has run aground after New South Wales authorities deemed the heritage vessel "unseaworthy" and ordered it to be removed from where it is moored by today.
Volunteers from Transport Heritage Australia have spent years restoring the Argos, which was built at Berry's Bay in 1903.
Transport Heritage Australia founder and president Peter Duffy said they were devastated by the latest directive from Transport for New South Wales.
"She's right on the cusp of the next chapter of her restoration," he said.
"We've got so much equipment sitting in the back wings ready to come onboard her, and the regulator can turn around and effectively choose to destroy her."
Steam tugs were a common sight on Sydney Harbour in the early 20th century, but most were long gone by the 1950s and 60s.
The Argos, formerly known as the Gladys Ellison, was one of the few to survive.
The timber boat is currently moored on Brisbane Water near Empire Bay on the Central Coast, awaiting the installation of a new boiler as well as a World War II-era steam engine sourced from the United Kingdom.
Restoration project runs aground
But two weeks ago, plans to overhaul the Edwardian tug hit a snag when Transport Heritage Australia said it received a Notice to Remove letter from Transport for New South Wales.
It declared the tugboat was an obstruction to navigation and unseaworthy:
You are therefore required to remove the vessel from the navigable waters of the Brisbane Water at Empire Bay by 5pm Thursday 24 November 2022 and further to remove it from NSW waters entirely.
The notice threatens fines of up to $5,500 and destruction of the boat if it is deemed to hold no value.
Peter Duffy acknowledged the restoration project had been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and was further complicated by the closure of the nearby marina, resulting in the cancellation of local mooring licences.
"Argos weighs 20 tonnes, is 18.5-metres long … any rational human can see that the demands are unable to be met," he said
"The timbers will dry, they will shrink, they will split. It's not actually feasible to remove the vessel from the water without her being effectively destroyed."
Transport for NSW labelled 'heavy-handed'
Mr Duffy criticised the government department for its "heavy-handed approach" and said there was a well-known shortage of moorings where vessels like the Argos could be legally moored.
He said there was also a recognised extreme shortage of maintenance facilities servicing the waterways around Sydney, which made any process of restoration "long and costly".
Transport Heritage Australia said if the boat had to be destroyed, it would not only be a major historical loss but a significant blow for 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 "sympathetic to efforts to restore this vessel to its former glory".
"However, the risks posed to the environment by the vessel, and the fact that it is it is illegally occupying a cancelled mooring in Empire Bay, outweighs this," a spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said in order to avoid further action and "minimise the risk of a pollution incident", the boat's owners were encouraged to move it to a suitable location such as dry storage or seek assistance from maritime historical societies.
