Cutty Sark may not have been insured

Sprinkler systems which could have prevented the fire had been stripped out as part of renovation work, it emerged - potentially invalidating an insurance policy worth at least £13million.

Scroll down for more...

Experts say it will take around £35million to repair the 280ft wooden ship, the world's last tea clipper and a major London tourist attraction.

If insurers refuse to cover the damage, the Cutty Sark Trust will face major problems finding the cash.

It is already appealing to supporters across the world to help.

The insurance concerns emerged as forensic inspections continued on the charred wreckage of the ship.

Sources close to the police investigation said it seemed likely the fire had been started by vandals.

Dr Eric Kentley, a senior consultant at the Cutty Sark Trust, said the sprinkler system had been taken out after the ship closed to the public for renovation work last November.

He said: "When the ship was completely stripped out, they took away the sprinklers. I think the fire detection systems were also taken.

"There were a lot of different sprinkler systems, it was a requirement for public safety.

"But once it was closed we did not need them.

"The system would have been put back in when it re-opened to the public. I do not know whether it would have made a difference if it had been there."

The decision was condemned as a "terrible mistake" by industry experts.

Fire protection consultant Stewart Kidd said: "Sprinklers would have stopped the fire dead. They would either have extinguished it completely or prevented it from spreading throughout the ship."

Although it is not a legal requirement to have sprinklers in place, safety guidelines say that sites of historic importance worth more than £6million should have adequate fire protection systems in place during renovation work.

Mr Kidd added: "I understand that it would have been necessary to remove the sprinklers when removingthe bulkheads, but a temporary fire detection system should have been put in place.

"Any breach can result in nonpayment of an insurance claim."

At the time of the blaze, the site was being run by an outside construction firm, Heery International.

It refused to comment on fire protection measures.

The Cutty Sark's insurers, Royal & Sun Alliance, also declined to comment.

The ship is thought to have been insured for at least £13 million to cover a Heritage Lottery grant given last September.

Prince Philip, who formed the Cutty Sark Society in 1951 to preserve the ship, toured the wreck and backed the appeal for cash to help repair her.

The Cutty Sark Trust took over from the society in 2000. Many irreplaceable parts of the ship, including her masts, wheel and master's cabin, had also been removed for the renovation work, meaning they escaped the blaze.

Police were still painstakingly photographing the scene and collating CCTV images from around the dry dock in Greenwich for possible clues on whether the blaze was vandalism or an accident.

The Cutty Sark was built in 1869 for the tea trade with China.

She was once the world's fastest tea clipper.

In 1885 she sailed from Australia to England in a record 72 days.