CANBERRA, Australia – An Australian billionaire will 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.
Billionaire Clive Palmer built a fortune on real estate on Australia's Gold Coast tourist strip before becoming a coal mining magnate. He is Australia's fifth-richest person with more than $5.2 billion.
Palmer announced on Monday he has signed a memorandum of understanding with state-owned Chinese company CSC Jinling Shipyard to build the Titanic II.
"It will be 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."
The Titanic II is the first of four luxury cruise ships that CSC Jinling Shipyard will build for Palmer.
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 began some months ago 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.
Brett Jardine, general manager for Australia and New Zealand in the industry group International Cruise Council, said Titanic II will be small by modern standards but will 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 won't," Jardine said.
While the Titanic II will carry around 1,680 passengers, most modern cruise ships create economies of scale by catering for more than 2,000 passengers, he said.
Please finish the following questions - using your imagination and creativity !!!
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