THE PROCESS of moving Newport’s Medieval Ship to a new home has begun.

Parts of the 15th Century vessel were rehoused yesterday from its previous location at a Maesglas warehouse to Unit 20 at Queensway Industrial Estate’s Estuary Court.

Along with the ship, four tanks are also in the process of being moved to the warehouse, with the reassembling of the first tank beginning yesterday.

Friends of the Newport Ship, the volunteer-led group behind the its preservation, have three weeks, up until New Year to move the ship, which was found 532 years after it sank on the Usk riverbed.

The discovery was made in 2002 during excavations for work on the Riverfront Theatre.

Archaeologists and historians have been examining the ship’s origins ever since. Friends of the Newport Ship chairman Phil Cox said: “We finally have parts in our new home – it’s going to be a tight struggle to get it done, but I am sure we will do it.

“We have specialist contractors starting that will be helping to shift the wet timber and also help up squeeze parts from four tanks into three.”

The whole conservation period, which is now in the latter phase of freeze drying the timbers to preserve them, should be completed around 2017.

Mr Cox said: “This will not be the permanent home for the ship.

“The plan is to take ownership from the council over to private owners or a charity, who will then decide what to do with the ship and where it will be housed permanently, but that is likely to take around three years.”

Friends of the Newport Ship have set a fundraising target of £100,000 to build a museum to house the ship after the conservation process is complete.

Last week it was given sponsorship money by the Associated British Ports ABP, owner and operator of the Port of Newport, although the scale of the sponsorship is unknown.

Mr Cox said: “We are still in the process of making plans for fundraisers, but need to focus on moving the ship before we do anything else.”

During its time at Maesglas, thousands have visited the ship during open days to look at the conservation process.