A project to rebuild a 19th century famine ship in Co Kerry has sailed into a further over-run of costs. The Jeanie Johnston, which has already missed a millennium voyage deadline to North America, will not now be ready for sea trials until the spring of 2001.
The cost of the project is now estimated at £10 million. Tralee Urban District Council and Kerry County Council have so far underwritten loans and grants of £3.6 million to banks, Shannon Development and Duchas. A special meeting of Tralee UDC on Thursday night agreed unanimously to advance an interest-free short-term loan of £400,000, to bail the project out of immediate trouble.
"Costs have escalated and the amount of work involved in fitting out the ship was underestimated," said county manager Mr Martin Nolan in a report to the UDC meeting. An independent survey estimated the cost of the project, including the voyage to North America at £10 million; in early July it was estimated at £8.3 million.
A £2 million Department of the Marine grant announced this summer to keep the project afloat will not be fully advanced until "a full and detailed rescue plan is advanced", Mr Nolan told the UDC. The delay in getting the grant is the reason for its present cash flow problems.
The rescue plan will be completed by November 13. The Jeanie Johnston Company assets - a 4.2 acre site and 10,000 sq ft of buildings at Blennerville, near Tralee, are to be used to raise money, Mr Nolan confirmed yesterday. The delay in the voyage to America, where the ship was expected to raise considerable income, is the nub of its present difficulties, Dr Henry Lyons, chairman of the Jeanie Johnston Board, explained. Instead of income coming in, £100,000 is going out each month as the ship nears completion in Fenit, he said.
Dr Lyons admitted that efforts earlier this year to launch the ship and sail her to America were "far too ambitious". But he expressed confidence in the project's long-term future. It was now "95 per cent finished", he said, and could be used as a museum, for sail training purposes, for corporate entertainment or for film-making. "Interest in the North American voyage has remained very strong, despite the delayed departure," Dr Lyons said.
He is confident the rescue plan will satisfy the Department of the Marine and the remainder of the money will be forthcoming. In the meantime, a business plan commissioned by Kerry County Council on the use of the ship after the voyage is near completion. The board of the company is also being restructured. Leaders of the US host committees will take part in detailed planning meetings next week.