Clive Palmer, one of Australia's richest men, has commissioned Chinese state-owned company CSC Jinling Shipyard to build a 21st Century version of the Titanic.
Ge Biao, CSC Jinling Shipyard’s Director said the shipyard has set up a special team to improve a number of software and hardware facilities. It is fully prepared for the construction of the "Titanic II" and had the confidence to build the world-renowned ship well, making contribution to China's entering the world market of cruise.
The new ocean liner will not be an identical twin: new safety rules imposed in the intervening century would alter the overall appearance of the ship's exterior, with new numbers of lifeboats and new positioning for them.
Palmer said the construction of the luxury cruise ship would begin in 2013 and the ship would be ready to sail in 2016.
The announcement of building such a ship comes just weeks after the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the ill-fated Titanic.
The Titanic was, at the time, the world’s largest and most luxurious ocean liner when it hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic and sank on Apr. 15, 1912, killing more than 1,500 people.
According to South China Morning Post, Palmer built his fortune in real estate and coal. Australia’s BRW magazine estimated his net worth last year at 4 billion U.S. dollars although Forbes puts it at 895 million U.S. dollars.
Read the Chinese version:中国承建“泰坦尼克二号”
Source: Beijing Morning Post
Reporter: Zeng Fanjuan
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