Maryland's goodwill ship, the Pride of Baltimore II, now belongs to the private nonprofit organization that has maintained the vessel and run its educational and business development programs for many years.
The state Board of Public Works voted Wednesday to transfer the ship's title to Pride of Baltimore Inc.
"We look forward to continuing to fulfill the mission we have worked toward for more than 30 years," said Pride Inc.'s executive director, Linda Christenson.
The group's leaders have sought ownership of the Pride II since 2007, when then-state Transportation Secretary John D. Porcari said the state could no longer afford its $164,000 annual subsidy for the ship's $900,000 annual operating costs.
Maryland originally took title to the Pride II in 1989 after contributing $1 million toward its construction as a replacement for the original Pride of Baltimore, which sank in an Atlantic storm in 1986 with the loss of four crew members. But Pride Inc. officials have said the public's perception of the ship as being state-owned hindered their private fundraising efforts.
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