The deadline for SS United States to move from its South Philadelphia dock has come and gone without a clear resolution.

Now, the ongoing legal dispute is heading toward mediation, writes Mike DeNardo for KYW Newsradio.

The decision was made by U.S. District Judge Anita Brody, who originally set the September 12 eviction deadline. She more recently agreed that the saga of the rusting, historic ocean liner should be mediated by a federal magistrate.

SS United States Conservancy, which owns the ship, had asked Brody to extend her deadline to move the ship until December 5. She, however, instead sided with the pier’s operator, Penn Warehousing.

According to court filings, the Conservancy accused Penn Warehousing of bargaining in bad faith, arguing its insistence on a $3 million-a-year advance rent payment derailed the Conservancy’s agreement to sell the ship to Okaloosa County in Florida.

Penn Warehousing attorney Craig Mills said the landlord’s goals in mediation would be to establish who would be responsible for the insurance when the ship is moved and also who would pay for the damage the ship has done to the pier.

The Conservancy released a statement that said it was “disappointed that Penn Warehousing continues to disparage and denigrate both the Conservancy and the historic symbol of our nation.”

Read more about the SS United States legal battle and mediation in KYW Newsradio.

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