I still think that Cunard's owner Carnival Corp. did not handle this QE2 controversy with any class.They are the ones who claimed that the QE2 was already 80% compliant with the 2010 SOLAS regulations.And Cunard President Carol Marlow who does really work for the Carnival Corp.,said in an interview last summer that Cunard claims that the 2010 SOLAS regulations would not be a major hurdle for the QE2.But now playing Devil's advocate if the above claims are true about the QE2 that Carnival Corp. planned to keep her sailing beyond 2010,Maybe when Carnival Corp. got the $100,000,000 offer for the QE2,Carnival Corp. then started thinking about when the time came for the QE2 to be retired whether it's 2015,2016 or beyond 2016,Carnival Corp. then probably thought that this is the best thing for the QE2.Carnival Corp. after it got the $100,000,000 offer,then must have thought we may not get this offer for the QE2 beyond 2010 and who knows if any other potential buyer post 2010 would want to preserve the QE2 as a floating hotel.It is possible that post 2010 Carnival Corp. may have ended up selling the QE2 for scrap metal for her steel hull and aluminum superstructure if no buyer would want to preserve the ship as a floating hotel.Then if that was the case possibly then Carnival Corp. feared of negative publicity at the sight of the QE2 being dragged onto a beach at Alang,India.Just look at the negative publicity NCL got when the S.S.Norway was dragged onto the beach at Alang,India.Then there was the attempt of British business interests of wanting to buy the QE2 to use as a floating hotel in Southampton,England.The problems with that idea is that Southampton being a busy port may lack a berth that the QE2 can permamently dock at.So if Southampton does not have berth space available could another British port have a available dock space for the QE2? How about Liverpool since Cunard used to have its headquarters there or how about a Scottish port since the QE2 was built in Scotland? Would British taxpayer money have to be used to buy and maintain the QE2?Would the majority of British taxpayers be for or against this proposal if their taxpayer money was needed to consumate the deal and to maintain the ship?
