Engine troubles scupper cruise liner’s visit to isle

Engine problems have caused the MS Queen Elizabeth to cancel her visit to Stornoway today.

A Stornoway Port Authority statement said: “Unfortunately, Cunard’s luxury liner, the Queen Elizabeth, is having some engine problems and cancelled Stornoway’s call on Tuesday.”

Cunard said that the £350 million vessel will visit Stornoway in September 2019.

The eight-year-old ship requires engine repairs before starting her next scheduled cruise and is cutting short her present trip. The Bermuda-flagged vessel is two-thirds through a 15-day trip to Norway and Iceland.

The majority of the 2,000 passengers on board are British. She also carries over 1,000 crew members.

Stornoway and Belfast are now replaced by Killybegs, her last port before docking in Southampton.

Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth on a previous trip to Liverpool, the liner’s spiritual home