QM2 returns to Southampton | Queen Mary 2 back in the UK after cancelled 2020 World Cruise

The Cunard Line Flagship Queen Mary 2 returned to Southampton on the morning of 15 April – bringing her troubled 2020 world cruise to an end. Queen Mary 2 departed Southampton on 10 January under the command of Aseem Hashmi. The original world voyage itinerary was to be a celebratory cruise, made extra special given 2020 is Cunard’s 180th anniversary. The original itinerary planned to see the ship voyage east to Asia, before heading south to Australia. After taking in a variety of Aussie ports, the ship would head west to Mauritius, Réunion, South Africa and Namibia. QM2 was originally scheduled to return to Southampton on 18 April. However rather than sailing to Asia, the Queen Mary 2 was diverted to Fremantle, Australia -- with Cunard announcing the changed itinerary on 9 February. QM2 journeyed from Sri Lanka to Fremantle via a refuelling stop at Malaysia. This change removed the entire Asian leg of the ship’s world cruise, due to ongoing health concerns in the region. QM2 arrived in Australia on 18 February and commenced a full circumnavigation of the continent. She returned to Fremantle on 14 March, where it was announced that no new guests would be allowed to join the ship – as the health situation deteriorated in countries around the world, including Australia. The following day, while still alongside in Fremantle, QM2’s 2020 world voyage was officially cancelled…. And most of the passengers departed the ship in Fremantle. Two hundred or so who were unable to fly for medical reasons were allowed to stay aboard the ship. QM2 left Australia on 16 March, bound for Port Louis in Mauritius where she would take on fuel. She then called at Durban during which some South African crew left the ship. The Queen Mary 2 made the direct voyage from Durban to Southampton in 13 days – following a route along the west coast of Africa reminiscent of the great ocean liners that once linked Britain and South Africa. Arriving into her homeport at 5:50am on 15 April, QM2 was joined in Southampton by fleet mate Queen Victoria, as well as P&O’s Britannia, Ventura and Azura. Due to the nature of the voyage, Captain Hashmi was unable to be relieved by Captain Chris Wells in Fremantle, meaning Captain Hashmi has been in command of the ship for the entire 95 day voyage. With QM2 alongside in Southampton, the Cunard fleet have now all completed their respective long-duration voyages. Until cruising resumes, it is expected that QM2 and Queen Victoria will remain in British Waters, while Queen Elizabeth is still far from home, sailing north of Australia awaiting orders with only her crew aboard. Music: YouTube Audio Library. Images: H1: Captain Aseem Hashmi / Courtesy Captain Hashmi C1: Carpathia / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain: https://bit.ly/2Vkd9qc