QE2 in potential £20m deal to be scrapped (From Daily Echo)
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QE2 in potential £20m deal to be scrapped
10:07am Monday 24th December 2012 in Shipping
QE2 in £20m deal to be scrapped
The QE2, one of Southampton's most iconic cruise ships, could be set to be sold for scrap for £20m.
According to reports, the ship's owners in Dubai have accepted an offer from China to scrap the vessel.
That is despite British plans to take QE2 back to the UK, in the form of a luxury floating hotel on the River Thames.
Originally, Cunard sold the ship to Dubai World for it to be used as a 1,000 room hotel at the Palm Jumeirah, a collection of man-made islands in the shape of a palm tree.
However, the worldwide economic downturn put pay to those plans and the ship has since been moored at Port Rashid, with a cost of £650,000 a month to maintain her.
It has been claimed a Chinese crew of around 20 boarded the QE2 last week, replacing a crew of around 40 who had been working on board.
The move has prompted fears that a deal with scrap merchants in China has already been done.
The anchor of the QE2 has given by Cunard to Southampton as a gift to commerate the 40 years of service the ship enjoyed from her home port.
It is now on display outside Holy Rood church in the city's High Street.
Comments(22)
News Fanatic
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11:06am Mon 24 Dec 12
Just another reader
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12:01pm Mon 24 Dec 12
sparkster
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12:04pm Mon 24 Dec 12
Inform Al
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12:11pm Mon 24 Dec 12
The Wickham Man
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12:28pm Mon 24 Dec 12
sparkster wrote:It just doesn't work Sparkster. We don't need the hotel space and on land hotels are more comfortable anyway. Ship interiors cannot be bashed around to make "conference centres" or any other amenity - you end up with an ugly rusting loss making eyesore as Informal says. Scrapping ships is always sad, but you could make a case for saving every single warship and cruise ship and with one or two exceptions it is never worth it. It isn't disgusting - it is common sense.
Exactly just another reader, i would like to see the QE2 back here where she belongs, she could easily be a floating hotel or conference centre but oh no she's done her service, now scrap her, disgusting
Lord Ikea
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12:46pm Mon 24 Dec 12
Just another reader wrote:The Original Queen Mary in Long Beach is not as popular as people think. I have stayed overnight on her and we were the only guests. Most of the ship was closed to us which was a shame. It costs the owners millions of Dollars in rust prevention every year. The same would happen to the QE2. Ships are metal, sea water is corrosive, put the two together and you have a money pit. I would love to watch a show on the Discovery Channel about her being cut up.
Think about the queen Mary that's moored up in the USA. It's a huge attraction and money maker over there. I'd love to see the QE2 moored up next to Mayflower Park adding another tourist attraction to our city.
sparkster
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12:50pm Mon 24 Dec 12
loosehead
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3:38pm Mon 24 Dec 12
IronLady2010
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7:02pm Mon 24 Dec 12
Pikey Pete
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9:15pm Mon 24 Dec 12
It would not be so bad for rusting. And much more could be used for Shops entertainment etc...
derek james
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10:18pm Mon 24 Dec 12
StMarysSaint
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7:24am Tue 25 Dec 12
Bingo from Sholing
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8:17pm Tue 25 Dec 12
B. L.
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9:03pm Tue 25 Dec 12
IronLady2010 wrote:It's a ship, not a boat.
It's a boat that has served it's purpose...........
IronLady2010
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9:07pm Tue 25 Dec 12
B. L. wrote:Whatever floats your boat!
IronLady2010 wrote:It's a ship, not a boat.
It's a boat that has served it's purpose...........
arizonan
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4:25pm Wed 26 Dec 12
Any other location in the UK would have been a very poor second best for this beautiful ship.
B. L.
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6:17pm Wed 26 Dec 12
IronLady2010 wrote:Whatever bloats your float also.
B. L. wrote:Whatever floats your boat!
IronLady2010 wrote:It's a ship, not a boat.
It's a boat that has served it's purpose...........
loosehead
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8:00pm Wed 26 Dec 12
arizonan wrote:Maybe Joe Anderson can use the millions he's made from selling two housing estates against the residents wishes to a developer to buy the QE2 & take it to Liverpool?
I have a photo of the QE2 on her first visit to Liverpool with the magnificent Cunard building in the background, the Mersey like a mill pond.
Any other location in the UK would have been a very poor second best for this beautiful ship.
arizonan
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9:28pm Wed 26 Dec 12
QMroger
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8:47am Thu 27 Dec 12
sarfhamton
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1:11pm Fri 28 Dec 12
WECOMING4U says...
10:35am Mon 24 Dec 12