Selasa, 03 Juli 2012

QE2 plans: Liner to be left in unglamorous Dubai port

QE2 plans: Liner to be left in unglamorous Dubai port

By Lauren Stopps

PUBLISHED: 07:19 EST, 3 July 2012 | UPDATED: 07:19 EST, 3 July 2012

It left British waters for the final time amid fanfare and fireworks, destined to become a beacon of modern accommodation in a gilded corner of the Middle East.

But according to new reports, the Queen Elizabeth II cruise liner â€" which was sold to a Dubai firm for $100million (£64million) five years ago â€" will no longer be transformed into a luxury hotel.

QE2

Glory days: In its heyday, the QE2 was the world's most iconic cruise liner

Instead, this maritime icon is set to be the centrepiece of a blueprint to rejuvenate a gritty commercial port.

The QE2 was off-loaded to the Dubai state company Istithmar, in 2007, and has remained largely unused since arriving in Dubai in November 2008, with officials reluctant to address questions about its future.

Now it has been revealed that the vessel will remain moored in Dubai’s Port Rashid â€" an unglamorous cargo harbor â€" as more modest plans are adopted for its use as a tourist magnet.

The ship's operator has admitted that plans to convert the cruiser into a five-star floating hotel, positioned at the tip of the emirate's famous man-made Palm Jumeirah island, became unforeseeable after the debt crunch that struck Dubai in 2008.

Istithmar, part of Dubai World â€" the state conglomerate that was at the centre of Dubai's 2009 financial meltdown â€" recently lost control of upscale retailer Barneys New York as part of a deal with creditors.

‘Unfortunately, we had many ambitious plans, but they didn't work,’ said Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, chairman of both Istithmar and port operator DP World.

And the chairman is adamant that visitors want to see the QE2 as it originally looked.

‘There have been many grand ideas.

‘There were plans of renovating it in such a way that it becomes something totally different than what it used to be.

‘But we realised soon that a lot of people like the ship as it was,’ he said.

Rather than face a glorious renovation â€" which promised to rejuvenate the ship into a lavish 1,000-room hideaway â€" the vessel will now boast just 300 rooms, with many of its original fittings remaining.

QE2 Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem,

A more modest future: The QE2, as seen earlier this week (left) in its new home at Port Rashid where - according to plans outlined by Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem (right) - it will be the centrepiece of a new tourist area

Bin Sulayem added that common areas of the liner, like the restaurants and entertainment zones, would largely be left as they are.

Though more modest, he said the new plan would see Port Rashid transformed into a tourist hub.

‘Wait 18 months, you will not recognise this place.’

Officials have stated that, once work is completed, the ship will re-open alongside a maritime museum and an expanded cruise ship terminal complex.

The QE2 was launched by Queen Elizabeth in 1967, and made more than 20 round-the-world trips. The vessel’s future has been the subject of intense speculation since its final voyage, which saw it depart Southampton for its new home in Dubai, in late 2008.

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