A working group has been established to assess the feasibility of bringing the Queen Elizabeth 2 cruise ship back to Scotland where she was originally constructed.
Previous reports suggested the famous vessel was languishing in a dock in Dubai where it was sold to by the United Arab Emirates’ government for £64m in 2008; but it seems the the ship could be up for sale again. This has led one local councillor to write to the Scottish Government.
Inverclyde Council leader Stephen McCabe called for national support to bring the ship back to Scotland and the first steps have been taken with the new working group set to meet on Wednesday.
The councillor said: “With reports that QE2 was languishing in a dock in Dubai after plans to convert her into a luxury hotel fell apart, I wrote to the Government, and national representatives calling for national support to bring her home.”
“I am delighted that the Scottish Government has recognised that QE2 is an important part of Scottish and Greenock’s maritime history.”
“While her future is uncertain and we still have no clear indication from Dubai about their plans, this support is a chance for all of the various Government agencies to work together to find out if there is a strong business case to bringing QE2 to Greenock and the Clyde.”
“I said in my earlier statements that bringing QE2 home to The Clyde and Greenock is a Herculean task. The more you look at it, the larger that job becomes.”
“That’s why it is hugely significant to have the backing of the Scottish Government and national agencies such as Scottish Enterprise around the table supporting our ambitious proposal.”
The QE2 was built by the John Brown Shipyard in Clydebank with construction beginning in 1965 before it was officially launched and named in September 1967 by the Queen.
Tourism minister Fergus Ewing added: “We have outlined potential support that the Scottish Government and its agencies could provide, which is dependent on the Council being able to secure the QE2.”
“There is great potential but we need to see whether a practical, affordable plan can be devised and wish to discuss the idea further to map out what that would entail.”
