QE2 to be scrapped? (From Daily Echo)
When news happens, text SDE and your photos or videos to 80360. Or contact us by email and phone.
Fears grow that legendary liner QE2 could go to the breaker’s yard
4:00am Wednesday 17th October 2012 in News
By Keith Hamilton, Shipping & Heritage Reporter
QE2 to be scrapped?
IS the end in sight for QE2, Southampton’s former legendary liner?
Rumours she could soon be scrapped are again circulating in Dubai where the ship has been berthed for the last four years.
According to sources moves could be underway which would eventually lead to the vessel being sent to the breaker’s yard.
If this is true it would be directly at odds to a joint announcement made just a few months ago in which the liner’s owners and developers, Istithmar World and DP World, confirmed work would soon begin on transforming QE2 into a major tourist destination right in the heart of Dubai, anchored at the historical, Port Rashid.
But one QE2 expert, who manages a well informed, Internet website about the ship, believes the ship may well be broken up.
Rob Lightbody, writing on his website, The QE2 Story, says: “I am hearing from a good contact, that ship brokers have been contacted about the possible scrapping of a 300 metre cruise ship based in UAE.
“That could surely only be one ship. Has time finally run out for our ship? If so, surely not a complete surprise, some will even be pleased...’’
When QE2 left Southampton for the last time in November, 2008 there were many in the city’s port community who were sceptical about her future in Dubai.
Some would have rather seen her sent for scrap instead of undergoing a drastic conversion and refit which would have destroyed her iconic appearance.
Ever since she left her home port of 40 years in her wake, rumour, and gossip have swirled around the ship as she remains moored at an isolated berth in Dubai.
QE2’s arrival in the Middle East, where she was to be converted into a world-class tourist attraction, fivestar floating hotel, and international conference centre, coincided with the worst of the global economic recession leading her new owners to abandon the original, lavish scheme for less ambitious plans.
Comments(55)
Totton Ric
says...
8:09am Wed 17 Oct 12
With Liverpool now in the race with cruises it would be an ideal time to really get Southampton Docks miles ahead & keep punters at the Number One Cruise starting point if we had the QE2, turn it in to a Museum & a Hotel I think that would be an attraction to pull punters in & stay a few nights before setting out on there cruise & also a good tourist attraction !
davehills
says...
8:21am Wed 17 Oct 12
The ship could form the centre point of the new Mayflower development.
Hotel, conference centre, casino, nightclub, theatre, even an ice rink could be built on board. People could enjoy the cruise experience for a weekend without ever leaving the UK.
Lionel P
says...
8:24am Wed 17 Oct 12
mooky9
says...
8:28am Wed 17 Oct 12
aldermoorboy
says...
8:34am Wed 17 Oct 12
I am sure that goes for most of Southampton.
Independent Thought
says...
8:44am Wed 17 Oct 12
If the QE2 can not give Southampton the wow-factor; then nothing else really can. She would make a fantastic addition to the city's offer and would draw in many extra visitors.
Now is the time for some serious city leadership on this matter; don't just expect the council to sort it, but need to really get the business community 'on board' (excuse the pun!) to make it a reality.
Totton Ric
says...
8:51am Wed 17 Oct 12
mooky9 wrote:If she bought for “Scrap Value” Im sure there’s enough willing investors out there, like somebody’s already mentioned Southampton would have the “Wow” factor to the City, as for moorings Im sure there find a place, possibly part of the Mayflower redevelopment !
And just who exactly is going to pay for it to come here, re-furb it and berth it? Not to mention put it where exactly as the working cruise liners need all the moorings in Southampton? It's a Pipe dream and now too expensive to sort out, should never have let it go to start with.
voiceof thepeople
says...
8:55am Wed 17 Oct 12
saint61
says...
9:01am Wed 17 Oct 12
davehills
says...
9:02am Wed 17 Oct 12
Vonnie
says...
9:07am Wed 17 Oct 12
aldermoorboy wrote:Not for me and most of my friends and acquaintances. It is just a ship which is made up of tons of metal. If the millionaires in the Middle East can't afford to refurb it, then Southampton Council can't, so don't even think about wasting my taxes on pie in the sky nostalgia.
The most beautiful ship in the world, I would love to be here in Southampton. I am sure that goes for most of Southampton.
MGRA
says...
9:12am Wed 17 Oct 12
eum is staggering. Dry-docking is obviously a no-go so the only option for it to be a "wow" factor floating money pit would probably be a commercial venue of some kind. The main engineering concern ( as faced by many floating museum ships ) is maintaining structural stability on a ship whose working life was spend at small degrees of tilt either side of zero degrees. This working life gave a certain "structure" to the metal fatigue and often ( not always ) a ship laid up permanently for years after long ocean service will suffer structural problems, especially around lower bulk-head joins.... the money involved in maintaining can be huge.
Huey
says...
9:13am Wed 17 Oct 12
It can't comepte with modern ships or live off nostalgia alone, so scrap it and be done, make something more useful out of the raw materials
Vonnie
says...
9:33am Wed 17 Oct 12
Lionel P wrote:Of course it is just a rumour at present. The Echo needs something to get people all stirred up for no good reason, so someone has been surfing the net. Put "Rob Lightbody" into your browser and when his site comes up, use the links to the discussion forum.
Just a rumour, then. Care to provide a link to the website so we can judge for ourselves?
phil maccavity
says...
9:41am Wed 17 Oct 12
However massive challenges to raise funds to purchase and maintain, tow her home, keep the ship pristine in a damp environment. where to berth etc etc.
Don't the 'Art Treasures' belong to the Dubai based owners?
Note that the 'Queen Mary' has had some financial difficulties in Long Beach in a dry and humid climate.
Perhaps a better example is SS Rotterdam, currently preserved as a floating hotel and conference centre in Rotterdam, since 2008.
However rumours of owners looking to sell to Omani interests.
May be latter would be better off looking at QE2
MGRA
says...
9:45am Wed 17 Oct 12
Vonnie wrote:it not a rumour in so far as feasibility studies have been conducted on conversions and the material I read earlier this year in an engineering journal tended to suggest scrapping was becoming an increasingly attractive option.
Lionel P wrote:Of course it is just a rumour at present. The Echo needs something to get people all stirred up for no good reason, so someone has been surfing the net. Put "Rob Lightbody" into your browser and when his site comes up, use the links to the discussion forum.
Just a rumour, then. Care to provide a link to the website so we can judge for ourselves?
St Retford
says...
9:52am Wed 17 Oct 12
AdrianSmith
says...
9:57am Wed 17 Oct 12
Lionel P wrote:Here:
Just a rumour, then. Care to provide a link to the website so we can judge for ourselves?
http://lmgtfy.com/?q
=Rob+Lightbody+The+Q
E2+Story
jhmatshrewton
says...
10:04am Wed 17 Oct 12
voiceof thepeople wrote:Well you certainly won't go near it if it ever made it back to Southampton, there's bound to be people hanging around outside just waiting to give you lung cancer, if you survive that long with all the other health hazards about!
I totally agree that Southampton needs a WOW factor, after all, we have the Bargate Shopping centre and the East Street shopping centre, and don't get me started on West Quay - You try walking in the main entrance without the fear of getting lung cancer from the hoards of smokers around the doors...the tourists must love the place
Lord Ikea
says...
10:21am Wed 17 Oct 12
Lord Ikea
says...
10:22am Wed 17 Oct 12
SaintAsh1964
says...
10:38am Wed 17 Oct 12
freefinker
says...
10:39am Wed 17 Oct 12
Vonnie wrote:.. totally agree.
aldermoorboy wrote:Not for me and most of my friends and acquaintances. It is just a ship which is made up of tons of metal. If the millionaires in the Middle East can't afford to refurb it, then Southampton Council can't, so don't even think about wasting my taxes on pie in the sky nostalgia.
The most beautiful ship in the world, I would love to be here in Southampton. I am sure that goes for most of Southampton.
Unless ...
Could it be turned into an ice rink?
MGRA
says...
10:47am Wed 17 Oct 12
SaintAsh1964 wrote:10 million to galvanise, and probably another 10 million to make the ship comply with current H&S legislation. And thats before a single "themed fit" has taken place... no I am sorry but its got to be scrapped....
Must be worth looking at with plans to re-develop Mayflower park, put a dry dock where the pier is, her bottom decks could be parking spaces, restaurants, shops, conference halls, ice rink, museums,penthouse suits, and a viewing platform are some ideas off of the top of my head,Carnival/Cunard should have given the ship to the City in the 1st place and it would really be a major tourist attraction, sadly though, I cant see it happening.
southy
says...
10:52am Wed 17 Oct 12
aldermoorboy wrote:No that title go's to the Old Queen Mary
The most beautiful ship in the world, I would love to be here in Southampton.
I am sure that goes for most of Southampton.
St Retford
says...
10:59am Wed 17 Oct 12
freefinker wrote:For the love of god, won't SOMEONE think of the ice rink?
Vonnie wrote:.. totally agree.
aldermoorboy wrote:Not for me and most of my friends and acquaintances. It is just a ship which is made up of tons of metal. If the millionaires in the Middle East can't afford to refurb it, then Southampton Council can't, so don't even think about wasting my taxes on pie in the sky nostalgia.
The most beautiful ship in the world, I would love to be here in Southampton. I am sure that goes for most of Southampton.
Unless ...
Could it be turned into an ice rink?
Seriously, though, since Southampton Ice Rink closed in 1988 we're had ethnic cleansing in the Balkans, genocide in Rwanda, the death of Princess Diana, 9/11, 7/7, a bloodbath in Afghanistan and the invention of X Factor.
Without the ice rink, evil has flourished. We must fix it before it's too late.
Independent Thought
says...
11:02am Wed 17 Oct 12
SaintAsh1964 wrote:SaintAsh1964 - you are a visionary and Southampton needs more people like you with a positive outlook.
Must be worth looking at with plans to re-develop Mayflower park, put a dry dock where the pier is, her bottom decks could be parking spaces, restaurants, shops, conference halls, ice rink, museums,penthouse suits, and a viewing platform are some ideas off of the top of my head,Carnival/Cunard should have given the ship to the City in the 1st place and it would really be a major tourist attraction, sadly though, I cant see it happening.
Bold creative thinking and leadership; that's what is needed to bring this great ship back home where she belongs.
SaintAsh1964
says...
11:17am Wed 17 Oct 12
MGRA wrote:If's but's and maybe's, you don't know the prices and I don't know the price but we do need something in our beautiful City to act as a centre piece, if this was done when she was 1st decommissioned there would not have been a need for the West quay phase 2 or what ever it's called.
SaintAsh1964 wrote:10 million to galvanise, and probably another 10 million to make the ship comply with current H&S legislation. And thats before a single "themed fit" has taken place... no I am sorry but its got to be scrapped....
Must be worth looking at with plans to re-develop Mayflower park, put a dry dock where the pier is, her bottom decks could be parking spaces, restaurants, shops, conference halls, ice rink, museums,penthouse suits, and a viewing platform are some ideas off of the top of my head,Carnival/Cunard should have given the ship to the City in the 1st place and it would really be a major tourist attraction, sadly though, I cant see it happening.
Hate to say it but the Spinnaker Tower in *ortsmouth is a crowd puller and having the Lizzy parked on our waterfront would be a massive attraction to all of those cruise passengers who just pass through, in my opinion she would be a much bigger attraction.
OSPREYSAINT
says...
11:28am Wed 17 Oct 12
St Retford wrote:It is quite an important ship in the history of the UK, no one has mentioned its participation in the Falklands crisis, has this been conveniently forgotten? There are many positive reasons to bring it back to Southampton, as far as I can see the only negatives are the cost, and the apathy of some who don't care for our Maritime Heritage, rather emphasised by the reaction to the Sea City Museum.
It's a ship ffs. How can you have an emotional attachment to a lump of metal? Whoever owns it can do what they want with it; if I went and bought a table from Ikea and decided to smash it into pieces then it would be no one's business but mine. This is no different.
Linesman
says...
11:58am Wed 17 Oct 12
Vonnie wrote:At last! Someone posting who uses their head rather than being influenced by their heart.
aldermoorboy wrote:Not for me and most of my friends and acquaintances. It is just a ship which is made up of tons of metal. If the millionaires in the Middle East can't afford to refurb it, then Southampton Council can't, so don't even think about wasting my taxes on pie in the sky nostalgia.
The most beautiful ship in the world, I would love to be here in Southampton. I am sure that goes for most of Southampton.
The maintenance costs for such a ship would far outweigh any money made on the venture. For a start, how much would it cost to tow her from Dubai to the UK?
If an oil-rich state cannot maintain it and run it at a profit, how can any thinking person imagine that it could be a money spinner in Southampton?
Linesman
says...
12:04pm Wed 17 Oct 12
Independent Thought wrote:So, SaintAsh1964 is a visionary who has bold, creative thoughts.
SaintAsh1964 wrote:SaintAsh1964 - you are a visionary and Southampton needs more people like you with a positive outlook.
Must be worth looking at with plans to re-develop Mayflower park, put a dry dock where the pier is, her bottom decks could be parking spaces, restaurants, shops, conference halls, ice rink, museums,penthouse suits, and a viewing platform are some ideas off of the top of my head,Carnival/Cunard should have given the ship to the City in the 1st place and it would really be a major tourist attraction, sadly though, I cant see it happening.
Bold creative thinking and leadership; that's what is needed to bring this great ship back home where she belongs.
Perhaps SaintAsh1964 could now have a bold, visionary and creative thought about what the cost would be and where the money would come from.
freefinker
says...
12:18pm Wed 17 Oct 12
Linesman wrote:.. in sure about £15m could be found with no problem. Ask ol' comb-over.
Independent Thought wrote:So, SaintAsh1964 is a visionary who has bold, creative thoughts.
SaintAsh1964 wrote:SaintAsh1964 - you are a visionary and Southampton needs more people like you with a positive outlook.
Must be worth looking at with plans to re-develop Mayflower park, put a dry dock where the pier is, her bottom decks could be parking spaces, restaurants, shops, conference halls, ice rink, museums,penthouse suits, and a viewing platform are some ideas off of the top of my head,Carnival/Cunard should have given the ship to the City in the 1st place and it would really be a major tourist attraction, sadly though, I cant see it happening.
Bold creative thinking and leadership; that's what is needed to bring this great ship back home where she belongs.
Perhaps SaintAsh1964 could now have a bold, visionary and creative thought about what the cost would be and where the money would come from.
May I suggest a floating maritime themed museum (with ice rink, of course)?
davehills
says...
12:21pm Wed 17 Oct 12
freefinker
says...
12:30pm Wed 17 Oct 12
davehills wrote:.. no. I believe it's occupied by water ever since the gates were removed.
Dubai obviously thought it *could* be profitable, before the owner ran into trouble. If dry docked I wouldn't have thought the costs would be that huge. Isn't the King George dry dock vacant?
SaintAsh1964
says...
12:30pm Wed 17 Oct 12
soton-mike80
says...
1:27pm Wed 17 Oct 12
MGRA wrote:From what I can see... this post is one of the only ones on this thread actually talking some sense into the situation...
sorry to inject the reality pill here.... ship like that are designed to travel the oceans. They are not designed to be laid up for periods longer than a few months. The amount of money required to keep a ship like that as a floating attraction/venue/mus
eum is staggering. Dry-docking is obviously a no-go so the only option for it to be a "wow" factor floating money pit would probably be a commercial venue of some kind. The main engineering concern ( as faced by many floating museum ships ) is maintaining structural stability on a ship whose working life was spend at small degrees of tilt either side of zero degrees. This working life gave a certain "structure" to the metal fatigue and often ( not always ) a ship laid up permanently for years after long ocean service will suffer structural problems, especially around lower bulk-head joins.... the money involved in maintaining can be huge.
There is no way Carnival UK is going to "give" a multi-million £ cruise liner to the City of Southampton when they can scrap her and offset the cost from bringing a new and more modern liner into service. They are a commcercial organisation and under no obligation to do anything, other than dispose of an aging asset in the most cost-effective manner.
The QE2, albeit beautiful, majestic and an integral part of British history, now needs to be consigned to that. The tax payers cannot even afford to keep the council running - are others on this post seriously suggesting we should hang a dead-weight round our city's neck?
My advice: Let her go - nothing lasts forever and everything has a time and place. QE2 is now in our past and should remain so.
blackmasquerade
says...
1:46pm Wed 17 Oct 12
soton-mike80 wrote:Carnival's not going to do anything as they no longer own the ship, having sold it to Dubai in an astute business move it must be said.
MGRA wrote: sorry to inject the reality pill here.... ship like that are designed to travel the oceans. They are not designed to be laid up for periods longer than a few months. The amount of money required to keep a ship like that as a floating attraction/venue/mus eum is staggering. Dry-docking is obviously a no-go so the only option for it to be a "wow" factor floating money pit would probably be a commercial venue of some kind. The main engineering concern ( as faced by many floating museum ships ) is maintaining structural stability on a ship whose working life was spend at small degrees of tilt either side of zero degrees. This working life gave a certain "structure" to the metal fatigue and often ( not always ) a ship laid up permanently for years after long ocean service will suffer structural problems, especially around lower bulk-head joins.... the money involved in maintaining can be huge.From what I can see... this post is one of the only ones on this thread actually talking some sense into the situation... There is no way Carnival UK is going to "give" a multi-million £ cruise liner to the City of Southampton when they can scrap her and offset the cost from bringing a new and more modern liner into service. They are a commcercial organisation and under no obligation to do anything, other than dispose of an aging asset in the most cost-effective manner. The QE2, albeit beautiful, majestic and an integral part of British history, now needs to be consigned to that. The tax payers cannot even afford to keep the council running - are others on this post seriously suggesting we should hang a dead-weight round our city's neck? My advice: Let her go - nothing lasts forever and everything has a time and place. QE2 is now in our past and should remain so.
Though it would be sad to see the ship broken up, agree the cost to purchase, bring her home & the subsequent ongoing running costs would likely prove unviable in the current climate & as a previous poster has commented, if the UAE cannot afford it then unlikely anyone can. Sad all the same though
Lone Ranger.
says...
1:54pm Wed 17 Oct 12
freefinker wrote:Yes but ...... If you put the gates back on ... then took the water out it would be dry then .......
davehills wrote:.. no. I believe it's occupied by water ever since the gates were removed.
Dubai obviously thought it *could* be profitable, before the owner ran into trouble. If dry docked I wouldn't have thought the costs would be that huge. Isn't the King George dry dock vacant?
acid drop
says...
2:11pm Wed 17 Oct 12
bazzeroz
says...
2:15pm Wed 17 Oct 12
sass
says...
2:19pm Wed 17 Oct 12
SaintAsh1964 wrote:Don't forget tolls on the Woolston bridge could be raised to extract more millions from the wealthy in Sholing.
Lottery funding for one, business enterprise, tourists, local taxes, heritage funding, a small admission charge, how much have we wasted on new build office blocks, empty shop space, the new sea museum? I bet there are hundreds of revenue avenues that could be explored by people who are far more expert at it than me, are you telling me if this was to happen visitor numbers to the whole city would not go up? how much extra revenue would that bring in, maybe you're a glass is half empty kind of person but me I try to be a bit more positive about things, and something like this would defiantly bring the WOW factor to Southampton and visitors from across the World.
freefinker
says...
2:58pm Wed 17 Oct 12
Lone Ranger. wrote:.. indeed, that is true.
freefinker wrote:Yes but ...... If you put the gates back on ... then took the water out it would be dry then .......
davehills wrote:.. no. I believe it's occupied by water ever since the gates were removed.
Dubai obviously thought it *could* be profitable, before the owner ran into trouble. If dry docked I wouldn't have thought the costs would be that huge. Isn't the King George dry dock vacant?
But, two problems: -
1) Do the gates still exist?
2) The dock is in use for commercial operations.
OSPREYSAINT
says...
3:34pm Wed 17 Oct 12
sass wrote:Both of them?
SaintAsh1964 wrote:Don't forget tolls on the Woolston bridge could be raised to extract more millions from the wealthy in Sholing.
Lottery funding for one, business enterprise, tourists, local taxes, heritage funding, a small admission charge, how much have we wasted on new build office blocks, empty shop space, the new sea museum? I bet there are hundreds of revenue avenues that could be explored by people who are far more expert at it than me, are you telling me if this was to happen visitor numbers to the whole city would not go up? how much extra revenue would that bring in, maybe you're a glass is half empty kind of person but me I try to be a bit more positive about things, and something like this would defiantly bring the WOW factor to Southampton and visitors from across the World.
OSPREYSAINT
says...
3:36pm Wed 17 Oct 12
acid drop wrote:Just like HMS Victory? RY Britannia, HMS Belfast, SS Great Britain, e.t.c.
scrap it, it is after all an old ship and old ships eventually end up being scrapped
Independent Thought
says...
3:59pm Wed 17 Oct 12
SaintAsh1964 wrote:Well done SaintAsh1964, as Winston Churchill once said: 'a pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty'.
Lottery funding for one, business enterprise, tourists, local taxes, heritage funding, a small admission charge, how much have we wasted on new build office blocks, empty shop space, the new sea museum? I bet there are hundreds of revenue avenues that could be explored by people who are far more expert at it than me, are you telling me if this was to happen visitor numbers to the whole city would not go up? how much extra revenue would that bring in, maybe you're a glass is half empty kind of person but me I try to be a bit more positive about things, and something like this would defiantly bring the WOW factor to Southampton and visitors from across the World.
Stephen J
says...
4:21pm Wed 17 Oct 12
OSPREYSAINT wrote:Or the SS United States? On second thoughts, maybe not.
acid drop wrote:Just like HMS Victory? RY Britannia, HMS Belfast, SS Great Britain, e.t.c.
scrap it, it is after all an old ship and old ships eventually end up being scrapped
mooky9
says...
5:05pm Wed 17 Oct 12
davehills wrote:Not defeatist mate, I just think the money could be better spent, we wouldn't get a decent return and they should've thought about this before they let Cunard get rid of her...
mooky9, with a defeatist attitude like that you must be a Southampton councillor!
pinky 812
says...
6:44pm Wed 17 Oct 12
MGRA
says...
9:24pm Wed 17 Oct 12
pinky 812 wrote:you do not understand the economics. you can not "use" an obsolete ocean liner other than totally re-fitting and re-engineering at a cost exceeding that of a NEW liner !?!? . Anyway, I agree with Southy.... the RMS Queen Mary was the one worth saving, and it has been...
in this day and age when homeless is getting bigger and bigger would it not make sence. to turn these unwanted boats and planes in to homes and charge a rent for them to get people of the streets and in to homes so they can have a home of sorts as well as family,s i agree it is a waste to break the QE 2 up so use her in a way she can be used
OSPREYSAINT
says...
9:32am Thu 18 Oct 12
Stephen J wrote:I don't understand your point, there is still an ongoing move to preserve the ship in question the main question is where it will be berthed.
OSPREYSAINT wrote:Or the SS United States? On second thoughts, maybe not.
acid drop wrote:Just like HMS Victory? RY Britannia, HMS Belfast, SS Great Britain, e.t.c.
scrap it, it is after all an old ship and old ships eventually end up being scrapped
Stephen J
says...
10:57am Thu 18 Oct 12
OSPREYSAINT wrote:It's simple. It's taken 43 years to get the United States to this point, and whilst things look brighter than they have ever done, its future is still far from assured. There are key decisions yet to be taken and the owners don't have a great deal of money in the bank. Given the combined lessons from the experiences of the Queen Mary, the United States, the Oriana and others, anyone would be ill-advised to take on the QE2. Watching the Canberra being scrapped was very sad, but ultimately, it was the most dignified option.
Stephen J wrote:I don't understand your point, there is still an ongoing move to preserve the ship in question the main question is where it will be berthed.
OSPREYSAINT wrote:Or the SS United States? On second thoughts, maybe not.
acid drop wrote:Just like HMS Victory? RY Britannia, HMS Belfast, SS Great Britain, e.t.c.
scrap it, it is after all an old ship and old ships eventually end up being scrapped
allison.luella
says...
11:31am Thu 18 Oct 12
OSPREYSAINT
says...
1:44pm Thu 18 Oct 12
phil maccavity
says...
4:30pm Thu 18 Oct 12
Too expensive to run so sold to NCL
When NCL decided she was too old there was a big effort in France to 'bring her home'
Unfortunately never happened for all the reasons that will prevent the QE2 being brought back to the UK
Shame but let's celebrate Soton's current position as a top European Cruise Port and note that when the QE2 was built a lot of traditionalists were firmly against the design!!!
costa gaz says...
7:36am Wed 17 Oct 12