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Those are some of the options as Long Beach weighs the longterm costs of owning a century-old steel ocean liner.
And all of the plans come with a significant price tag, ranging from $105 million to retire and scrap the ship, to roughly $500 million to move the vessel and build a new dry dock, according to a report from city-hired engineering firm Moffatt & Nichol.
Long Beach has owned the Queen Mary as a tourist attraction since 1967, but for years it has leased the ship to various operators that have struggled to make a profit.
The latest operator filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January and the city this month took control of the Queen Mary when former leaseholder, Urban Commons Queensway, walked away from the lease after the ship received no qualified bidders at bankruptcy auction.
Bankruptcy judge gives Long Beach legal control of Queen Mary; owner of Russian sub still a mystery • Long Beach Post News lbpost.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from lbpost.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
City officials in Long Beach have said they will spend $2.5 million to maintain the historic Queen Mary ocean liner for the next six months and plan out the repairs needed to reopen the tourist destination
By City News Service
Jun 4, 2021
LONG BEACH (CNS) - The city of Long Beach regained control of the Queen Mary today for the first time in four decades, with the previous operator surrendering leases for oversight of the vessel, which is in need of millions of dollars in urgent repair work.
Recent reports on the state of the vessel concluded that it could potentially sink absent an estimated $23 million in immediate repairs.
Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia said the city plans to take swift action to restore the ship now that it has operational control of the vessel for the first time since 1978.
The City of Long Beach has taken full control of the Queen Mary, with the tourist landmark facing an extended closure for what could be millions of dollars of needed repairs. A popular attraction for more than 50 years, the Queen Mary has played an important role in the theme park industry.