Titanic II to take shape in a Chinese shipyard
Source: Agencies |
May 1, 2012, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
AN Australian billionaire is to build a high-tech replica of the Titanic at a Chinese shipyard and its maiden voyage in late 2016 will be from England to New York, just as its namesake planned.
Just a couple of weeks after the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the original Titanic, Clive Palmer announced yesterday that he had signed a memorandum of understanding with CSC Jinling Shipyard in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, to build the Titanic II.
"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. He called the project "a tribute to the spirit of the men and women who worked on the original Titanic."
More than 1,500 people died after the luxury liner hit an iceberg on its first voyage.
Palmer built a fortune from real estate on Australia's Gold Coast before becoming a coal mining magnate. BRW magazine reported he was Australia's fifth-richest person last year worth more than A$5 billion (US$5.2 billion).
Palmer said at a news conference that previous attempts to build a Titanic replica failed because proponents failed to raise enough money and commission a shipyard. The Titanic II is the first of four luxury cruise ships Palmer has commissioned CSC Jinling Shipyard to build.
Palmer did not provide a cost estimate. He said he had established a new shipping company, Blue Star Line Pty Ltd, and that design work for the Titanic II had begun with assistance from a historical research team.
The most obvious changes from the original would be below the water line, with welding rather than rivets, a bulbous bow for greater fuel efficiency and enlarged rudder and bow thrusters for increased maneuverability, Palmer said.
Brett Jardine, general manager for Australia and New Zealand in the International Cruise Council, said Titanic II would be small by modern standards but could prove viable at the top end of the luxury market.
"From a marketing point of view, many will embrace it and perhaps there'll be some that wouldn't," Jardine said.
"If you've got a niche, it's going to work," he added.
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, he said.
Just a couple of weeks after the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the original Titanic, Clive Palmer announced yesterday that he had signed a memorandum of understanding with CSC Jinling Shipyard in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, to build the Titanic II.
"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. He called the project "a tribute to the spirit of the men and women who worked on the original Titanic."
More than 1,500 people died after the luxury liner hit an iceberg on its first voyage.
Palmer built a fortune from real estate on Australia's Gold Coast before becoming a coal mining magnate. BRW magazine reported he was Australia's fifth-richest person last year worth more than A$5 billion (US$5.2 billion).
Palmer said at a news conference that previous attempts to build a Titanic replica failed because proponents failed to raise enough money and commission a shipyard. The Titanic II is the first of four luxury cruise ships Palmer has commissioned CSC Jinling Shipyard to build.
Palmer did not provide a cost estimate. He said he had established a new shipping company, Blue Star Line Pty Ltd, and that design work for the Titanic II had begun with assistance from a historical research team.
The most obvious changes from the original would be below the water line, with welding rather than rivets, a bulbous bow for greater fuel efficiency and enlarged rudder and bow thrusters for increased maneuverability, Palmer said.
Brett Jardine, general manager for Australia and New Zealand in the International Cruise Council, said Titanic II would be small by modern standards but could prove viable at the top end of the luxury market.
"From a marketing point of view, many will embrace it and perhaps there'll be some that wouldn't," Jardine said.
"If you've got a niche, it's going to work," he added.
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, he said.
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