Nemesis?

After the hubris attendant on the unveiling of the Airbus A380 when chancellor Gerhard Schröder boasted that, "There is the tradition of good old Europe that has made this possible", one wonders if he will be at the quayside to greet the Aurora when it is towed back to Germany.

Built at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, this 76,152 ton super cruise ship embarrassed its owners P&O when its maiden voyage in 2000 had to be cancelled after mechanical troubles. Now engineers have been unable to cure problems with her propulsion system that have led to the humiliating cancellation of her latest world tour.

Go on, say it Schröder: "There is the tradition of good old Europe that has made this possible".