Have you ever dreamed what it would have been like to cruise on the legendary Titanic? Your dream may soon become a reality.
Australian billionaire Clive Palmer has commissioned a 21st century “high tech” version of the Titanic that will set sail in 2016 named “Titanic II”. The news comes after the 100 year anniversary of the Titanic’s tragic sinking.
The new ship will be built by Chinese company CSC Jining Shipyard and will have all of the comforts of the 21st century while maintaining the ship’s original appearance.
“It will be every bit as luxurious as the original Titanic, but … will have state-of-the-art 21st-century technology and the latest navigation and safety systems,” Palmer released in a statement. He considers the project “a tribute to the spirit of the men and women who worked on the original Titanic.”
This is not the first time investors have attempted to bring the Titanic back to life. According to Palmer, the reason other attempts to re-create the Titanic have failed was due to lack of funding. The billionaire assures this will not be an issue with a reported net worth of over $3 billion.
The replica ship will be owned by Blue Star Line PTY. Ltd, a tribute to the Titanic’s owner White Star Line. The new ship will be diesel powered and feature the four trademark smoke stacks. New design implementations include replacing rivets with welds and making changes to the bow to improve fuel efficiency. When completed the Titanic II will have the same dimensions as the original as its predecessor with 840 rooms and nine deck.
Although the Titanic was the largest ship of its time, the new version will be comparatively much smaller than today’s cruise ships.
“While the Titanic II would carry around 1,680 passengers, most modern cruise ships create economies of scale by catering for more than 2,000 passengers,” reports the Associated Press.
A spokesman for Palmer announced that the cost of the ship is still unknown.
“A final budget hasn’t been set and I don’t think he’ll reveal the price, to be honest,” said the spokesman.
Palmer plans on having four luxury cruise ships flying the Blue Star Lines banner.
