Australian mining magnate and former conservative politician Clive Palmer has announced that he is restarting his plan to build a full-size replica¹ of the Titanic².

 

澳大利亚产业大亨、前保守派政客克莱夫·帕尔默宣布，他将重新打造一艘全尺寸的泰坦尼克号复制品。
 

 

Palmer announced on Monday that Titanic II, which will be built by his cruise ship company Blue Star Line, is due to set sail in 2022.

 

Palmer first pitched the project in 2012, but it was put on hold for financial reasons. Relaunching the Titanic has long been a dream of Palmer, and he was evidently pleased to announce that work was restarting on the project.

 

The real Titanic, claimed to be "unsinkable" by the Belfast shipbuilder Harland and Wolff, set sail on its maiden³ voyage to New York in 1912. But it never made it: the liner hit an iceberg⁴ as it crossed the Atlantic and sunk, with the loss of 1,500 passengers and crew.

 

The story of the ship's doomed⁵ voyage was popularized in its blockbuster namesake "Titanic", which opened in cinemas in 1997. The movie was such a hit that it was re-released in 3D in theaters in 2012. More than a hundred years after its original voyage, it seems that public interest in the ship has continued to grow.

 

The Titanic II will cost about 500 million U.S. dollars to build, and will have a potential capacity of 2,400 passengers and a crew of 900. It will have the same interior and cabin layout, including the ballroom⁶ and Turkish baths. Passengers will also be given period costumes to wear in a salute⁷ to the original vessel⁸. Palmer stressed that besides recreating the original appearance of the ship as much as possible, the liner will have contemporary equipment such as modern radar⁹ and more lifeboats.

 

The ship will follow the original route, but with the addition of a leg from Dubai to Southampton first. Palmer hopes Titanic II will travel around the globe: "Millions have dreamt of sailing on her, seeing her in port, and experiencing her unique majesty,"he said. "Titanic ll will be the ship where those dreams come true."

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