Noah's Ark giant 'replica' leaves Ipswich after 20 months

Work started in the early hours of Thursday morning so the vessel was able to leave

A giant model of Noah's Ark detained after it was deemed unseaworthy has left a town after 20 months.

The 70m-long (230ft) ship, which was transformed into a floating museum, arrived in Ipswich in 2019.

It was only meant to stay for three months but it remained at the Suffolk waterfront under maritime laws when "deficiencies" were found.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said the boat was allowed to leave as the issues had been resolved.

The story of Adam and Eve is depicted in the museum

Evelyn Voaden, deputy harbourmaster at Ipswich, said two tugs, a work boat and a sea tug were all deployed to help it leave.

The ship was bought for €3m (£2.6m) in 2010 by Dutch TV and theatre producer Aad Peters, who said he wanted to create a "talking point" for people from all backgrounds.

A team of 50 expert craftsmen took five months to create the museum.

It houses wooden sculptures depicting Bible stories, including Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel as well as the nativity scene.

The replica of Noah's Ark has been docked in Ipswich since 2019

Conservative MP for Ipswich Tom Hunt said he was "pleased that the Ark saga seems to be at an end".

"I visited the Ark to meet the owner a couple of weeks ago along with a representative from the Port of Ipswich," he said.

"It did seem things were finally moving in the right direction.

"It's an impressive structure and I know many Ipswich residents are glad it made our town home for a short while but I'm pleased we're now parting company in the best of spirits.

"Bon voyage."

A spokeswoman for the MCA said it had "carried out an inspection of the vessel" and confirmed its "deficiencies had been resolved and corrected by its ownership".

The vessel was detained by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency