A 21st century replica of the famous Titanic ship is being built and is expected to be ready to set sail on its maiden voyage by 2022.
Australian billionaire Clive Palmer is funding the incredible build of ‘The Titanic 2’ despite criticisms from some who have accused the project of being insensitive and disrespectful to the victims who died when the original Titanic sunk.
The construction of Titanic 2 is taking place at the CSC Jinling Shipyard in Jiangsu, China and not in Belfast where the original was built.
It is expected to cost around £500 million to complete.
Despite there being objections from some, the demand for tickets has been huge and offers have reportedly been made of up to £640,000.
The ship will not follow the Titanic’s route on its maiden voyage, when it was travelled from Belfast to Southampton, then to Cherbourg in France and finally at Cork.
It never reached its New York destination after hitting an iceberg in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean which resulted in the ship sinking and more than 1,500 losing their lives.
As a mark of respect the Titanic 2 will not follow that same ill-fated route. Instead it will sail from Jiangsu, China and across the Indian Ocean to Dubai.
Palmer wants to the ship to be as close as possible to an exact replica of the original, and it will keep the design of nine decks, with first, second and third class living quarters.
The ship will maintain the same height, length and weight of the original, but will be 13ft wider to comply with modern maritime regulations and, obviously, contain enough lifeboats for all passengers on board.
James McDonald, of Palmer’s company Blue Star Line, said: “The new Titanic will of course have modern evacuation procedures, satellite controls, digital navigation and radar systems and all those things you’d expect on a 21st century ship.”
A promotional video has been released to give potential passengers the chance to take a sneak peak at what Titanic 2 will look like.
Take a look for yourself.
