Australian millionaire announces plan to build Titanic replica

Eccentric Australian millionaire Clive Palmer announced Wednesday a plan, his third in a decade, to build a replica of the Titanic, the legendary British liner that sank during its maiden voyage in 1912.

The mining magnate, who opened a huge park with giant animatronic dinosaur replicas on his property in Queensland in 2013, said that though the Titanic II would have the same interior and cabin design as the original, it would have a modern security system.

“”It will be the ship of love and the ultimate in style and luxury,” Palmer said, according to statements reported by Australian television Channel 9.

He said the replica would be managed by cruise company Blue Star Line and aims to “offer passengers an unparalleled journey back in time, immersing them fully in the opulence and splendor of life aboard the original Titanic, thus bridging a century with a voyage of unparalleled elegance.”

The 269-meter-long ship will be able to carry about 2,435 passengers on its nine levels, which include luxurious cabins and dining rooms, swimming pools, a ballroom and a casino, among other amenities.

Palmer had previously tried to launch the Titanic project in 2012 and 2018, although on both occasions the initiatives were paralyzed due to financing problems, while the current project does not have a date to start operating.

British ocean liner Titanic sank on the night of Apr. 14, 1912 during her maiden voyage to New York City when she collided with an iceberg, killing about 1,500 people.

The tragedy was filmmaker James Cameron’s inspiration for the motion picture “Titanic” in 1997, with a story based on real events that captured the romance between Jack (Leonardo di Caprio), a lower-class young man, and Rose (Kate Winslet), a rich teenager, whose destinies crossed by chance on the shit.