Iconic ex-passenger liner the Queen Elizabeth 2 will leave its home in Dubai and be moved to Asia to be turned into a 500-room luxury floating hotel, reportsEmirates 24/7.

 

It is reported that Drydocks World, the ship’s owners and a subsidiary of state-owned Dubai World, have now signed an agreement with Oceanic Group Pte Ltd., a cruise company with offices in Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai, to convert the ship into a five-star hotel.

 

No details on the ship's exact destination in Asia were given, however, a map noted its planned voyage ending in China, raising speculation of seaports such as Shanghai or Hong Kong.

 

The Oceanic Group, a group of experienced advisers to cruise operators and managers in Asia, will take the lead in managing the project while Drydocks Dubai will carry out extensive technical and operational checks before her move to Asia.

 

Previously in July 2012 plans were announced to keep the vessel in Dubai as a hotel and part of a maritime centre, but that looks to have been finally scrapped as Dubai World looks to reclaim back some of their initial AED 367 million (US $100 million) investment when they purchased the ship in 2007.

 

Drydocks Chairman Khamis Buamim is reported to have said that he expects the ship to become a moored hotel in January 2014 and that it still may one day return to Dubai.