Dubai plans Asian home for famed QE2 liner after years in port limbo

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FILE - In this Monday, July 2, 2012 file photo, Chief steward, Ronald Gelmo, welcomes visitors to the Queen Elizabeth 2 as Istithmar World, the Dubai state investment company that owns the ship, outlined plans Monday to turn the retired cruise liner into a 300-room hotel, ending years of speculation about its fate, in Port Rashid, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The Dubai owners of the storied passenger liner Queen Elizabeth 2 say the ship will be moved to Asia as a floating luxury hotel. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – The Dubai owners of the storied passenger liner Queen Elizabeth 2 say the ship will be moved to Asia as a floating luxury hotel.

The deal marks the latest twist in the fate of the QE2, which has been docked in Dubai since it was purchased by the state investment company Istithmar World in 2007 at the height of the city’s boom. In July, plans were announced to keep the vessel in Dubai as a hotel and part of a maritime centre.

A statement Thursday from Dubai officials did not give any details on the ship’s destination in Asia, but a map at the port shows a route taking the vessel to China.

It said the QE2 will become a 500-room luxury hotel after undergoing checks in Dubai.

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