Liner QE2 to Get a Regal Face Lift--for $112 Million
The Cunard ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2 docked in the West German port of Bremerhaven today for a $112-million refit, the most expensive in the history of passenger shipping.
Lloyd Shipyards, which will carry out the work, said his company has 179 days to turn the QE2 into “a liner for the 21st Century,” a Cunard spokeswoman said.
The 965-foot ship, built on Clydeside in 1968, is to have its original steam turbines replaced by nine new diesel-electric engines, capable of 130,000 horsepower.
Cunard expects that the power unit, manufactured by the West German MAN company, will yield a fuel saving of 250 tons a day while preserving the QE2’s place as the world’s fastest liner, with a top speed of 32.5 knots ( 37.5 m.p.h.).
The liner is also due to get a rebuilt passenger court with a shopping arcade, plus a leisure center and 60 more luxury suites.
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