The nonprofit owner of the iconic ocean liner SS United States is once again entangled in a messy legal dispute with the Philadelphia dock owner where the ship is currently berthed.
As the deadline to vacate its Philly home passed this week, the SS United States Conservancy filed an urgent court motion, accusing Penn Warehousing of acting in “bad faith.”
Court Orders Mediation Between Both Parties
| On Friday, a U.S. District Court granted the SS United States Conservancy permission to keep the ship at the dock for now. Both parties have been ordered to enter court-supervised mediation to resolve the issue. |
Plans to Turn the Ship Into an Artificial Reef
The Conservancy had been in talks with Okaloosa County, Florida, which had tentative plans to transport the ship to the Sunshine State. Once there, the SS United States would be intentionally sunk off the coast to create an artificial reef for scuba diving.
Dock Owner Allegedly Went Back on Agreement
In its emergency filing earlier this week, the Conservancy accused Penn Warehousing of reneging on an agreement that would have allowed the SS United States to remain in Philadelphia until December to ride out the hurricane season.
The motion claims Penn Warehousing “failed to honor its representations” to keep the ship docked at Pier 82 until December 5.
The Conservancy further claimed that Penn Warehousing attempted to derail the sale by taking possession of the ship and selling it themselves. Penn Warehousing has denied these allegations, filing a response on Thursday stating that “the involved parties have not dealt in good faith to facilitate the removal of the ship.”
Wrinkle in Florida Plans Delays County’s Final Decision
Meanwhile, the Okaloosa County Board of Commissioners has acknowledged a “wrinkle” in negotiations and postponed a final decision on funding the ship’s transportation.
Okaloosa’s Deputy County Administrator, Craig Coffey, submitted an affidavit stating that the dock owner attempted to independently negotiate a sale of the ship to the County despite not being the legal owner.
Conservancy Hopes for Good Faith Mediation
“While we were disappointed that Penn Warehousing continues to disparage and denigrate both the Conservancy and this historic symbol of our nation, we hope that they will enter mediation in good faith,” the Conservancy said in a statement on Friday.
Constructed in 1952, the SS United States was one of the most celebrated ocean liners of its era and still holds the record for the fastest transatlantic crossing.
