Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) is almost ready to make her final sailing before she is transformed into a floating hotel in China.
Cunard sold the ship to the UAE government’s Dubai World for £64 million in 2008, The Telegraph UK reported.
New owners had hoped to turn the ship into a 1000-room hotel, but the project was axed as a result of the financial crisis. In July last year it was revealed she would become a 300-room hotel.
Currently anchored in Port Rashid, Dubai, owners said the ship has completed a number of upgrades and they’re hoping she will sail to an undisclosed Chinese shipyard on 18 October.
There she will undergo renovation, which will include the installation of a maritime museum, a shopping mall and new restaurant.
Her memorabilia will be removed during the process and later returned once the refit is complete.
Although her final destination is still unknown, a deal between the UAE and Singapore’s Oceanic Group will see the group rent the ship from Dubai World for roughly £670,000 a year. They will have the option to buy the ship outright for up to £23.5 million after ten years.
The QE2 made her maiden voyage in 1969 and was part of the Cunard line for up to 40-years.
