ATHENS, Dec 4: Thousands of visitors to the 2004 Olympic Games will be housed in Cunard’s luxury Queen Mary 2 cruiser, Athens Olympics organisers (ATHOC) said.

ATHOC signed an agreement with Cunard Line to use the cruiser on Wednesday as they scramble to cover a shortfall in hotel rooms for visitors to the Games.

They plan to use 11 cruiseliners docked at the port of Piraeus to accommodate 13,000 VIPs and are also banking on a scheme to rent thousands of private homes.

“The plan to provide accommodation in floating hotels is the largest in the history of the Olympics,” ATHOC officials said.

The 345m Queen Mary 2, Cunard’s flagship, is being built at Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyards in Saint Nazaire, France. The organisers said the cruiser will be able to accommodate about 3,000 visitors.

Delivery is expected in the first half of next year with its maiden voyage to New York from Southampton in January 2004.

The port of Piraeus will be spruced up for the Games with renovation of landmark buildings, planting of trees and infrastructure upgrading to accommodate the cruise ships.—Reuters