New life for QE2?

November this year will see the end of the line, in terms of maritime service, for arguably the world’s most famous passenger ship, Cunard’s venerable QE2. She is off to a new life in the Emirate of Dubai, as a floating hotel that will be part of the massive new Palm Jumeirah development. But still there remains much secrecy about her last few months with Cunard and any planned send-off celebrations. Much more secrecy surrounds what her new owners, Dubai World, have planned for the vessel. Some of the reports that I’ve received from Dubai are slightly worrying, especially for the many thousands of QE2 devotees in the UK, US and elsewhere, and contradict what Dubai World’s chairman Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem said when it was announced that Dubai had bought the ship from Carnival for US 100m. ‘Dubai is a maritime nation and we understand the rich heritage of QE2. She is coming to a home where she will be cherished,’ he said. However, some of the plans that I’ve heard about for the ship in Dubai are a bit tacky. I hear that the ship’s iconic funnel will be taken ashore and used as the entrance to the new hotel, being replaced by a glass replica that also houses a Penthouse Suite. Furthermore, a number of additional decks with Balcony Suites will be added to the upper deck of the ship. Meanwhile, as QE2 won’t be sailing off anymore, her diesel engines are to be taken out and sold off to power pumping stations in Dubai and Panama. Not exactly the ending that many in the industry had hoped for the vessel. Sentiment shouldn’t come into hard-nosed business decisions, I know. But you only have to look around Dubai at present to see what Dubai classes as forward thinking designs in terms of hotels, leisure resorts etc; tacky Las Vegas-style developments. I wonder what Cunard’s chairman Sir John Brocklebank, who signed the contract to build QE2 at John Brown, Clydebank, would say if he could see what’s about to happen to his baby? Sphere: Related Content