QE2 “highly unlikely” to return to Scotland
The QE2 is “highly unlikely” to return to Scotland and The Clyde, according to the working group set up to establish if the cruise liner could be brought back home.
The announcement comes after it was revealed in the media from sources close to the Dubai owners that she won’t be scrapped and that there are plans in place.
The working group, chaired by Riverside Inverclyde’s Chief Executive, Aubrey Fawcett, drew its membership from The Scottish Government; Scottish Development International; Scottish Enterprise; Visit Scotland and both Inverclyde & West Dunbartonshire councils and was set up to find out if the vessel could return to Scotland.
The working group was established after reports that the QE2, which was built in Clydebank and fitted out in Greenock, had no long term plans in place.
Chair of the QE2 working group, Aubrey Fawcett, said: “It is becoming clear that bringing the QE2 back to Scotland, which was always an ambitious proposition, is highly unlikely to happen. The working group has, through the Dubai offices of Scottish Development International, established contacts with the owners of the ship.
“We have also written directly to the owners seeking clarity on the state of the ship and whether she is for sale. No direct response to that correspondence has been forthcoming. Consequently we must conclude that it is highly unlikely that Scotland features in the future plans for the vessel.
“We are heartened to hear through media sources linked to the Dubai owners a commitment that QE2 is not destined to be scrapped and that there are plans in place. While it is disappointing that those plans don’t include the option of bringing her back home to the Clyde where she was built, we can take heart that we have shone a spotlight onto the vessel and her current condition.”
In 2015, after hearing reports the ship could be for sale, Inverclyde Council Leader, Councillor Stephen McCabe, wrote to the Scottish Government to highlight the plight of the ship. Scottish Government Minister, Fergus Ewing, MSP, responded encouraging national agencies to join an Inverclyde-based working group. In addition, West Dunbartonshire Council passed a motion calling on support to explore if QE2 was for sale and contacted Scottish Government ministers.
The working group was established and made contact through the Dubai based offices of Scottish Development International with the owners of QE2.