QE2 Bound for South African Port?

Dubai's economic downtown causes the legendary ship to seek another permanent harbor

In "The Flying Dutchman," a ghost ship drops anchor in a port somewhere in Norway. It is revealed that the captain, the namesake "Flying Dutchman," once swore to the devil that he would sail around the Cape of Good Hope if it took him forever. Once every seven years, he was permitted to leave his ship in search of a woman to redeem him from his deathless wandering. If he failed, he would sail the oceans, when the fantasy opera was set, until Judgment Day.

I thought about "The Flying Dutchman" when I read "QE2 Might Sail Again Before Becoming a Hotel" in USA Today. Just last October, when it became known that the former flagship of the Cunard fleet was sold to a Dubai developer, the All About Cunard blog explained, "Cunard admits the QE2 could have carried on for several more years, but Cunard president Carol Marlow argues the offer from Dubai of £50 million was simply too good to turn down and in pure economic terms it was probably the right thing to do. It seems that prudence over passion has prevailed. Dubai has promised to look after the liner, the fastest in the world, and moor her on [artificial islands called] The Palm."

In November, the ship reached what was to be her "final home" in Dubai (above right), where she was to be converted into a luxury hotel. As recently as March, the owner, a Dubai developer, reaffirmed its "commitment" to turning the QE2 into a luxury hotel in the face of rumors that that she might be sold.

Now, USA Today reports, "The cash-strapped owner of QE2 ocean liner - thought to be permanently resting in Dubai - is considering moving the ship to South Africa or elsewhere...Owner Nakheel, a subsidiary of Dubai World, applied for permission to anchor the QE2 in Cape Town, South Africa, a Daily Mail story says. The company's also believed to be in talks with a local hotel management firm, Johannesburg's Business Day says."

Is the QE2 fated to be shuttled from port to port with the promise of a new life as a luxury hotel, or will it finally happen? I just hope the grande dame of the oceans will not end up dismantled for scrap.