24th April 2006 - Reuters

QE2 left Southampton yesterday headed for Lloyd Werft shipyard in Bremerhaven where the Cunard liner will undergo her bi-annual 'cut and shave' refit. Work involves an on-going planned maintenance programme including replacing carpets and technical overhaul. QE2 returns to the UK in two weeks time to start her summer cruise season on May 9.

On her way to Germany, QE2 sailed past flagship Queen Mary 2 tied up at the Queen Elizabeth II terminal having just arrived from New York. This is the third time both Cunard liners have been in their home port of Southampton at the same time and Cunard took the opportunity, once again, to celebrate the ocassion with a lunch on-board QM2 for a group which included 70 US travel partners and winners of a competiton run by a local newspaper.

Talking yesterday in Southampton, Cunard president Carol Marlow spoke of the impending arrival of newbuild Queen Victoria, delivering late 2007. 'To get three Cunard ships in port at the same time will become increasingly challenging,' she remarked.

Referring to QE2 as a 'national treasure', Marlow said the liner has now completed 5.5m nautical miles and the company is looking forward to celebrating the 40th anniversary of her naming in 2007.

In contrast QM2, which is just over two years old, has sailed a mere 300,000 nautical miles said the Cunard chief. QM2 will undertake two transatlantic voyages - to New York and back - before heading to Blohm+Voss in Hamburg where her damaged propulsion pod will be removed. The liner will be out of service for six days in early May and will resume sailing on a Northern Europe itinerary departing on May 11.

She will operate throughout the summer using three pods before having the repaired pod re-installed during a second docking at B+V in November.