Cunard'S multi-million pound face-lift for the liner, Queen Elizabeth 2 will be the most important work in the 30 year lifetime of the most famous pas-senger ship in the world.

Although the news QE2 will undergo refit in Germany, not in its home port, brought disappointment to the city, many local suppliers, services and outfitting companies are still hopeful of picking up lucrative sub-contracts as part of the wide-ranging work.

When QE2 leaves the Lloyd Werft yard in Bremerhaven on December 10 at the end of nearly a month-long dry-docking, the 70,327-ton ship will not only be ready to voyage far into the next millennium, but it will set sail on a new era in its career.

The huge and highly influential Miami based Carnival Corporation, which acquired Cunard last year, sees the contract as a vital step in the revitalisation of the shipping line, which has its European head-quarters in Southampton.

Work on QE2 will be part of a three-ship contract clinched by Lloyd Werft who will also under-take refits on Cunard's other vessels, Vistafjord, soon to be renamed Caronia and be based in Southampton, and Royal Viking Sun which will emerge from the yard as Seabourn Sun.

It was the fact that the German yard was able to handle all three ships as a single package plus the strict levels of control that Lloyd Werft have committed them-selves to which finally convinced Cunard to go to Bremerhaven.

"This refit and refurbishment programme is a highly-significant element in the branding and rebranding of our total fleet and its introduction at the start of the historic year, 2000,'' said Larry Pimentel, Cunard's president, in Florida.

"Cunard has experienced the expertise of Lloyd Werft on four separate occasions with QE2, in 1983 and 1984 for dry docking, survey work and minor conversions, then in 1986 when the German yard re-engined QE2 from steam turbine to a diesel electric propulsion plant in 179 contract days.

"A fourth QE2 dry-docking visit in 1988 saw survey work and further improvements in public areas and passenger accommodation.

"We have a great degree of confidence that Lloyd Werft can meet the stringent timetable for completion of this unusual project. The fact is that our year 2000 itineraries and schedules for our entire fleet must be secure and assured.''

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