QE2 project appears to be on hold in Dubai (From Daily Echo)

QE2 hotel project appears to be on hold in Dubai

12:08pm Wednesday 27th May 2009 in News By Keith Hamilton, Shipping & Heritage Reporter

LOOKING forlorn, forgotten and unloved, Southampton’s former queen of the Atlantic swelters under the glare of the fierce, unremitting Dubai sun as temperatures climb to 109F.

This is how the one-time Cunard liner QE2 looked just two days ago, tied up at a berth in Dubai’s container port where she has been languishing ever since she arrived in the Emirate in November last year.

Partly hidden behind a row of container carriers, QE2 appears to be deserted.

For 40 years, she was a familiar sight at Southampton docks in between voyages criss-crossing the globe, but ambitious plans to convert the former liner into a luxurious floating hotel and tourist attraction seem to be on hold.

Dubai, like much of the rest of the world, is in the grip of recession, and has seen dramatic cutbacks and the postponement of many high-profile projects.

Little progress seems to have been made transforming QE2 since she has been in the Middle East, although her government-backed owners, Nakheel, insist that the conversion is still set to go-ahead.

Plans for QE2 include the creation of 200 hotel rooms as well as the development of 130 apartments.