Investors in Dubai want to preserve SS Norway as luxury hotel

Dubai, June 28 (UNI) A group of Dubai investors are desperately seeking to save a ship, once a luxury cruiseliner, which is being towed to India's Alang for breaking.

The SS Norway, considered along with the Queen Elizabeth II to be the last of the great cruiseliners, is within two weeks of its destruction.

''Project Dubai'', as it has been dubbed, is a 100-120 million US dollar plan that would see the liner snatched from the breakers and transformed into a luxury floating hotel and conference centre moored in Dubai's harbour.

A joint UAE-US venture company, Gulf Desert LLC/Bleu Ribband, is negotiating with the liner's Liberian shell company owners and a consortium of Indian breakers called Haryana Steel, to save the vessel being towed to the world's largest ship-breaking yard in Alang, Khaleej Times reported.

A partner said the ship would be a ''fantastic commercial venture'' for Dubai that would eventually provide hundreds of new, much-needed hotel rooms as well as adding a significant cultural and historical asset to the city.

The ship has 1,200 cabins, two 800 and 900 seat restaurants, two swimming pools and a two-tier, 748 seat theatre.

Actor Cary Grant and painter Salvador Dali often vacationed on the ship.

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