The cash-strapped Dubai owner of the QE2 is weighing plans to open the British ocean liner as a floating hotel elsewhere in the Middle East or Africa rather than in the struggling Persian Gulf sheikdom. In an email Sunday, shipowner Nakheel told The AP that other ports had expressed interest in hosting the vessel and that it was evaluating those options before going ahead with a planned refurbishment. The property developer had originally planned to renovate the ship and turn it into a luxury hotel berthed alongside the company's manmade, tree-shaped Palm Jumeirah island off the Dubai coast. It has been moored at Dubai's downtown Port Rashid since its highly publicized arrival in November. “In addition to alternative locations in Dubai, other ports in the Middle East and Africa have also expressed an interest in hosting this impressive maritime icon,” the company said. Nakheel did not name possible ports for the ship or provide a reason for the move. It said it is seeking “to ensure opportunities to experience QE2 in her current condition are maximized whilst ensuring her important heritage is at all times protected.” South Africa's Business Day newspaper, citing a spokeswoman for the country's tourism department, reported that Nakheel has applied to anchor the ship in Cape Town. The spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday. In March, the company sought to quell speculation it lacked the money to renovate the QE2, one of the world's best known cruise liners. It said at the time it had commissioned a “time-consuming” engineering survey of the ship and remained committed to refurbishing it.
