The Titanic II, a 21st-century replica of the doomed liner that sank in 1912 with the loss of 1,500 lives, is to take to the seas three years from now, but it could not be built in Belfast, the Australian mining magnate behind the project has said.
So far 40,000 people have made inquiries about sailing onboard Titanic II, which will be finished by late 2016 and come complete with replicas of the first-, second- and steerage-class berths.
“Titanic was a ship of dreams and Titanic II promises to be the ship where dreams come true,” Clive Palmer (above), who made his fortune from coal and iron-ore mines, told reporters in the Ritz Hotel in London.
Launching the plans, Mr Palmer said the copy of the White Star liner – but one with enough lifeboats for 2,000 people, and satellite navigation – would be built in a dockyard in Jiangsu in China.
“Back then, Belfast was at the pre-eminent edge of building ships. It is a sad fact today that they are not, and we don’t want to compromise the designs, engineering and work that was carried out by many people in Ireland and England by building it at a yard which is not at the top level,” he said.
