Monday, April 30, 2012

Australian billionaire mining magnate Clive Palmer has announced plans to build a fleet of luxury cruise ships, including a replica of the famous RMS Titanic.

Palmer has announced his new company Blue Star Line Pty Ltd has commissioned a close replica of the Titanic from CSC Jinling Shipyard in China. Construction would commence in 2013 and the maiden voyage would be in late 2016.

Palmer said, “It will be every bit as luxurious as the original Titanic but of course it will have state-of-the-art 21st century technology and the latest navigation and safety systems”. When asked if the replica would be unsinkable, Palmer said “Of course it will sink if you put a hole in it. It will be designed as a modern ship with all the technology to ensure that doesn’t happen.”

Palmer also said the Chinese Navy had been invited to escort the ship on its maiden voyage. The original RMS Titanic sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on April 15, 1912 after colliding with an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York, with the loss of 1,514 people.