An Australian billionaire has unveiled blueprints for the Titanic II, a replica of the ill-fated ocean liner that sunk more than a century ago.
Clive Palmer, a mining magnate, said the ship’s design, decor, and penchant for luxury was inspired by the original Titanic. The safety features and shipbuilding will be in accordance with modern standards, while air conditioning and other modern conveniences will also be included.
“We all live on this planet, we all breathe the same air and, of course, the Titanic is about the things we’ve got in common,” Palmer told The Associated Press. “It links three continents.”
Palmer said that around 40,000 people expressed desire for buying tickets for the Titanic II’s maiden voyage. It would take the original journey from Southampton, England, to New York.
Palmer, however, did not say the ship was unsinkable. The owners of the original ship, before the vessel sailed off in 1912, said the Titanic could not be sunken, but it crashed into an iceberg in the North Atlantic, killing 1,500 people on board.
“I’m not too superstitious,” Palmer said, according to Reuters. He added, “Anything will sink if you put a hole in it. I think it would be very cavalier to say it.”
Palmer said that climate change might prevent the Titanic II from smashing into a wayward iceberg.
“One of the benefits of global warming is there hasn’t been as many icebergs in the North Atlantic these days,” Palmer told AP.
On board the ship, passengers will have to dress in the fashion of the early 1900s and eat the food from the original menu.
Palmer, who is worth an estimated $4 billion, is building the ship with his own cash. “I want to spend the money I’ve got before I die,” he said, according to AP. “You might as well spend it, not leave it to the kids to spend, there will be enough left for them anyway.”
It will be built by a state-owned Chinese company, CSC Jinling Shipyard, reported USA Today.
