MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Bad weather cancels QE 2 Falklands call; RAF farewell display

The much anticipated final visit to the Falkland Islands by the Queen Elizabeth 2 passenger liner has had to be cancelled, reports FIRS.

The world famous ship which is on her farewell world cruise was expected to call into Port Stanley on Friday but was not able to due to poor weather. Captain Ian McNaught said he was very sorry that they could not come in but "the weather was against us". "Safety of passengers and the ship must always be our main concern", said Captain McNaught. "We know that this last call was as important to the people of the Falklands as it was to us, passengers and crew; it was rather frustrating", he added. However he thanked the RAF for putting on a fantastic show as they arrived Friday morning as they approached the Islands. Captain McNaught said it is sad that the grand old lady of the seas will never be calling the South Atlantic again but "wished to pass on their regards to everyone". This Sunday QE2 is scheduled to call in Punta Arenas along the Magellan Strait in the extreme south of Chile. The forty year old QE2 transatlantic is scheduled to be decommissioned at the end of the year and turned into a floating hotel in Dubai. QE2 with 70,000-ton displacement and 293 meters long is still one of the largest passenger ships afloat, with a top speed of 32.5 knots, and can carry 1,900 passengers and a crew of 1,015. Built at the John Brown shipyard on the Clyde in Scotland, she was officially launched by the Queen in September 1967. In Dubai she will be refurbished and adapted for her new home: a specially-constructed pier at The Palm Jumeirah, the world's largest man-made island, to create a luxury floating hotel, retail and entertainment destination.