The Lord Mayor of Hull Colin Inglis is travelling to Iceland to talk to Steinunn Thorarinsdottir, who designed the statue six years ago, about recasting the artwork.

The 6ft (1.8m) high, bronze sculpture, called Voyage, was taken from its plinth by scrap metal thieves in July - an act which caused an outrage in the city. The British Fishermen's Association said the statue - known simply as Voyage - meant a lot to its members and a spokesman appealed to the conscience of the thieves. Thousands of Hull fishermen have died at sea over the past 100 years and the memorial was given by the people of Vik as a tribute to their bravery and dedication

But even with the pleas from the fishing veterans and a £1,500 reward it was not recovered and most people believe it has been melted down. The replacement will cost approximately £40,000 and will be paid for out of the council's insurance fund. Two men were questioned by police soon after the theft but they were later released without charge.

The Lord Mayor said: "People in Iceland were amazed at the time that anybody would do it. I think that continues to be the case. They just can't believe that someone would stoop so low, really. I think it was important for us to make it very clear to them how much we valued what had been done with this project and what this statue meant to us."

It has been suggested that the replacement, which should be erected soon after Christmas, should be kept inside to avoid a future  theft as scrap metal thieves are now targeting anything and everything made of metal.

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