The Melbourne-based ferry fleet is about to be axed and the final ship to depart Melbourne’s port is scheduled to be decommissioned in the next few weeks.
The ship, called The Dauntless, has been in operation since 1919.
It was decommissioning last year but the Victorian Government has decided to put it on indefinite hiatus.
The Dauntess was built in Melbourne’s west from 1929 to 1935 and is one of the oldest ferries operating in the country.
The company had been operating a ship named the Sydney Harbour-based Princess Margaret which was scrapped in the 1930s.
The Dampier-class ferry was built by the company for a time in the 1960s and is currently being used for the Dampiers and The Daunes.
The new ship will be the last Dauntas to be built.
The State Government is considering a sale of the vessel to an overseas operator.
The ferry will be decommanded in Melbourne on June 1, 2018.
Melbourne City Council said the ferry will also be demolished to make way for a new city-centre.
Under its long-term plan, the Daunties will be demolished from May 2020.
It said the ship would be scrapped at the end of 2021.
On Sunday, council members approved the sale of a 50 per cent stake in the ferry to an international operator.
Mr Dickson said he had asked for a final report from the Victorian Maritime Safety Authority on the Daunting before he decided to give up the ferry.
“The fact that we are about to lose it is absolutely devastating,” he said.
“[The owner] is very keen to keep it afloat but the situation is that they’ve got a 50-year lease on the ship.
If they go to an outside operator, we will get a 20-year term.”
We have been working with them for the last 10 years.
I’m very grateful for their assistance.
“The ferry company is in talks with a foreign company to provide an alternative route for the ferry, Mr Dickson added.
A spokesman for the Australian Maritime Safety Agency said the vessel had been operated by the Victorian Department of Transport for the past 50 years and was a valued part of the fleet.
He said it was a “vital asset” that should be preserved for future generations.”
The Daunting will remain in service for the long term,” the spokesman said.
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