News / floating harbour
Barge that council bought for £1.4m to be scrapped
A boat that Bristol City Council purchased for £1.4m in 2019 is now in dry dock where it will be broken up and sold for scrap.
The council had originally hoped to sell Ebenhaezer in order to recoup their hefty investment, which at the time was described as a “ransom”.
But they appear to have now cut their losses after surveys revealed the 137ft-long barge is in such a poor condition that it is no longer safe for it to remain in the docks.
is needed now More than ever
Ebenhaezer has now been moved from its home of several years beside Bristol Bridge to the Albion Dock next to the SS Great Britain which will be its final resting place.
It is the end of a protracted saga which saw the council buy the barge and its prize mooring rights from a private owner because it was in the way of a development of former warehouses on Welsh Back.
Developers said they would not go ahead with the regeneration of the buildings if the boat was still there, with council officers saying that buying Ebenhaezer and its mooring rights was the most cost-effective way to break the impasse.
The fear was that if developers pulled out of the deal, the council would need to pay to repair the largely derelict buildings anyway.
Originally due to be three restaurants, O and M sheds are still due to be turned into BoxHall despite numerous delays.
One aborted plan was for them to become Abolition Shed, a major memorial to the victims of enslavement.
Ebenhaezer was moored near Bristol Bridge after being bought by Bristol City Council – photo: Martin Booth
A Bristol City Council spokesperson said: “Surveys completed on the barge have concluded that it is no longer in a condition to safely remain moored in the Floating Harbour.
“To remove any potential risk that it presents to harbour (sic), the barge has been moved to the Albion Dry Dock.
“Costs to repair the barge to make it good enough to travel safely on the water far outweigh what its value would be once restored to such a condition.
“We have therefore taken the decision to dismantle the barge to reuse and recycle its individual parts.”
Ebenhaezer at its original mooring at Welsh Back in October 2020 – photo: Martin Booth
Main photo: Martin Booth
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