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Author Topic: QE2 RETURNING ?  (Read 2805 times)

DickyD

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QE2 RETURNING ?
« on: June 23, 2009, 07:07:06 pm »

From tonights Southern Evening Echo newspaper.

 MYSTERY surrounds an approach for legendary Southampton liner Queen Elizabeth 2 to make a stunning return to her home city.

The Daily Echo has learned from high-placed sources that port bosses have been contacted about the possibility of an astonishing comeback by the Grand Old Lady of the Sea towards the end of the year.

It comes less than eight months since she was sold off for £50m to become a luxury hotel in the desert of Dubai with thousands of well-wishers lining Southampton Water to bid her farewell.

It is likely that QE2 would have to sail to Southampton without passengers but it revives the tantalising prospect of the liner sailing with thousands of nostalgic travellers on her traditional transatlantic route to New York, where it is understood approaches have also been made by shipping agents.

Grand plans to convert the former Cunard liner into a luxury five star resort in Dubai have been torpedoed by the global recession, with QE2 now lying in a deserted container berth.

Owner Nakheel, part of the Dubai royal family’s development empire, has been forced to deny consistent rumours that the troubled project could be in jeopardy and ruled out a sale or sending her to the scrapyard.

A spokesman for Nakheel denied the company was behind any plan to send her to Southampton.

However, a senior cruise industry figure told the Daily Echo there were major doubts over Nakheel’s lavish plans and said it would not be insurmountable to return her to service. He added he had heard of plans to run cruises out of Dubai on QE2 and to take her to South Africa.

It would be relatively easy to restore the ship ready for cruising once again and would cost considerably less than Nakheel’s conversion scheme.

Currently she is home to only a skeleton crew of 36 under an eastern European captain and has just one engine running to provide power.

Port owners ABP declined to comment.

Additional reporting by Keith Hamilton
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Colin Bishop

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Re: QE2 RETURNING ?
« Reply #1 on: June 23, 2009, 07:37:11 pm »

Interesting report. I think that the Dubai scheme is probably dead in the water given the property crash there. However I would think Cunard (Carnival) would almost certainly put up a fierce resistance to seeing the QE2 returned to service. They would prefer to see her scrapped.

Realistically, given the age of the ship and her current condition I don't think that she would have more than a few years service life left in her and the time spent already in Dubai will have inevitably led to deterioration in her systems.

However, using her as a hotel and conference centre in Southampton might be a runner if the investment could be found and the scheme properly promoted.

Up until now, my feeling was that she would be scrapped before too long.

Colin
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Bryan Young

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Re: QE2 RETURNING ?
« Reply #2 on: June 23, 2009, 07:42:15 pm »

Relatively easy? Get real. If she had any life left in her that didn't entail massive expenditure then Cunard would have kept it. OK, I know she looks good on the outside...but what about the more important bits on the inside? Sanitation for one. Catering (in which she failed so many hygeine inspections in the USA). The list could go on and on. Personally I would like to see her "doing her thing" again, but this time let your head rule the heart. BY.
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funtimefrankie

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Re: QE2 RETURNING ?
« Reply #3 on: June 23, 2009, 07:57:52 pm »

Let's hope the same doesn't to QE2 as the Manxman, schemes after schemes all coming to nothing....
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gondolier88

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Re: QE2 RETURNING ?
« Reply #4 on: June 23, 2009, 08:05:46 pm »

Hi guys,

The QE2 is a beautiful boat, a symbol of GB at sea, and a nostalgic icon, however she is a monster of a boat, a floating museum, a hazard to health and unprofitable as a business.

There are SO many vessels of massive historic importance in Britain at the moment- Cutty Sark springs to mind- these are just as important, if not more than QE2- they are after all from a time out of living memory, or are unique examples of their type, or quite simply are the only one of their type! Unfortunantely QE2 doesn't fall under any of these criteria, yes something probably should be done, but it never will be, we need to sort out the fleet of slowly decaying boats at home first!

After all, the Queen Mary 2 is giving Britain something else to lay it's pride upon, and long may it stay so.

Thats my opinion anyway.

Greg
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cos918

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Re: QE2 RETURNING ?
« Reply #5 on: June 23, 2009, 10:41:53 pm »

I wish i were true . whats £50M to the Dubai royal family NOTHING more than pocket change. Look at what there are spending. Can you see them let her go and let some one else make her work as a hotel or working ship when they cant I don't think so . To much pride in the Dubai royal family.
I thought she was sold because she wont meet these new reg SOLARS i think that come in ,in 2010 and I would cost to much to convert her to meet the new regs.
All so she has a lot of problems with her aluminum superstructure which is not an easy fix.

John
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Colin Bishop

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Re: QE2 RETURNING ?
« Reply #6 on: June 23, 2009, 11:09:56 pm »

Quote
After all, the Queen Mary 2 is giving Britain something else to lay it's pride upon, and long may it stay so.

Not much British about the QM2 except for Stephen Payne's design. Built in France and owned by the American Carnival Corporation.
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gondolier88

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Re: QE2 RETURNING ?
« Reply #7 on: June 23, 2009, 11:19:42 pm »

Hi Colin,

And why was she built in France...? Because GB doesn't have the resources ie. manpower, skills, a yard big enough and the resources we do have cost far too much- this, along with the lacsidaisical approach from higher authorities in this country to act on the recognition we rightly give historic vessels in this country means we will never build a 'QM2' here, and we will porobably lose at least half the vessels that this country owes it's, albeit damaged, economy to.

If you've watched the documentary on the building of QM2 you would see what I men, especially the bit where one of the bow thrusters that came outsourced from the shipyard came with a damaged hull hatch closing mechanism- the company that made it denied responsibility and said that another one would likely be about two months to delivery- so the shipbuilders built a completely new one- and this thing was about 20ft dia!!! In this country the unions would have held out for overtime, the costs would have escalated and the bosses would have decided to wait until a new one could be sourced- putting the build schedule back by weeks, perhaps we have the skills, somewhere, but we've lost the mindset in this country, or should I say we've kept our mindset and ignored the european manufacturing methods, at cost!!!

Greg
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cos918

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Re: QE2 RETURNING ?
« Reply #8 on: July 12, 2009, 05:30:00 pm »

Well look like South Africa may be here new port.

John

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1199114/QE2-new-berth-Cape-Town.html
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Bryan Young

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Re: QE2 RETURNING ?
« Reply #9 on: July 12, 2009, 10:57:40 pm »

Just shows that nobody really wants her any more. I would think the only reason the S.Africans would (temporarily) want her is because they haven't got the hotel accommodation in place for the influx of visitors expected for the soccer World Cup finals....and then she will be off-loaded to some other place. Probably as an "assylum seeker" refuge in Calais. Then brought into Hartlepool for scrapping. BY.
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Colin Bishop

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Re: QE2 RETURNING ?
« Reply #10 on: July 12, 2009, 11:11:23 pm »

Reading between the lines, if she cannot be brought home to the UK as a viable hotel pretty quickly she is likely to be scrapped.

Colin
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grasshopper

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Re: QE2 RETURNING ?
« Reply #11 on: July 13, 2009, 01:17:50 am »

Moor her up the Thames, using her as accomodation for all those ministers at the Houses of Parliament - and use their expenses money to run her...
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BarryM

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Re: QE2 RETURNING ?
« Reply #12 on: July 13, 2009, 08:04:23 am »

I'm with you there - as long as they all go Steerage Class.

Barry M
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