Australian billionaire plans to build Titanic II in China
April 30, 2012
China may soon become the home of the second Titanic, as an Australian billionaire has decided to construct a duplicate of the most famous cruise ship of all time. Clive Palmer recently announced her signed a deal with CSC Jinling Shipyard to build the Titanic II, according to The Associated Press.
"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 said in a statement, according to the AP.
The ship will appear the same as the original, but the iconic smokestacks will be for decorative purposes only, and the ship will be built by modern standards. It will carry fewer passengers than the original, with a capacity around 1,600 people instead of the 2,200 passenger capacity of its predecessor.
The mining billionaire wants to begin construction in late 2013, and when the ship is complete, he wants to repeat the tragic voyage from England to New York, without duplicating the tragic end met by passengers of the first Titanic in 1912, according to BBC News.
Those who want to find out more about the building of the Titanic II can make calls to China with international phone cards.