kdfwr911 (retired)
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Billionaire promises to build Titanic II by 2016
CANBERRA, Australia — An Australian billionaire said Monday he'll 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 like its namesake planned.
Weeks after the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the original Titanic, Clive Palmer announced Monday he has signed a memorandum of understanding
with state-owned Chinese company CSC Jinling Shipyard 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 in a statement. 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 Titanic hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic on its first voyage. It was the world's largest and most luxurious
ocean liner at the time.
Palmer built a fortune on real estate on Australia's Gold Coast tourist strip before becoming a coal mining magnate. BRW magazine reported he was
Australia's fifth-richest person last year with more than 5 billion Australian dollars ($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 has begun with assistance from a historical research team.
The diesel-powered ship will have four smoke stacks like the coal-powered original, but they will be purely decorative.
The most obvious changes from the original Titanic would be below the water line, including 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 industry group 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. Why go out there and try to compete with the mass market products that are out there now?" 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
passengers, he said.
Among the world's largest passenger ships, Allure of the Seas is 90 meters (295 feet) longer than the 270-meter (886-foot) Titanic and has 2,700
cabins.
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Marginmn
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| Quote: | Originally posted by kdfwr911
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
passengers, he said.
Among the world's largest passenger ships, Allure of the Seas is 90 meters (295 feet) longer than the 270-meter (886-foot) Titanic and has 2,700
cabins. |
Well they could carry fewer lifeboats to free up room for more passengers......
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quickiemonster
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The last cruise I took there were nearly 3,000 passengers.
If you tell the truth, you don\'t have to remember anything.
Mark Twain
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skipjack
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Ship is being built in China? No thanks, count me out.
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E_HILLMAN
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Made me sad too skipjack. Sadder thing is there are not really that many ship builders for ships like that in the US or Europe anymore. 
Everything else sounded pretty cool. (the bay bridge now has large sections made from China too )
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Buy Made in the USA, the job you save just might be your own.
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