One of Australia’s richest men, Clive Palmer unveiled plans to build a 21st century version of the doomed Titanic in China, with its first voyage from England to New York set for 2016. Palmer, a self-made mining billionaire, said he had commissioned state-owned Chinese company CSC Jinling Shipyard to construct Titanic II with the same dimensions as its predecessor, but with “state-of-the-art 21st century technology and the latest navigation and safety systems”. It will have 840 rooms and nine decks. The ship would also include an exhibition room which will showcase his home state of Queensland. He added that he had invited the Chinese navy to escort the Titanic II to New York. The announcement comes just weeks after the 100th anniversary of the sinking of Titanic, which went down on April 15, 1912 after striking an iceberg on its first voyage, from Southampton to New York. Palmer said the new ship would be a tribute to the spirit of the men and women who worked on the original, which sank with the loss of 1,514 passengers and crew. Titanic was commissioned by White Star Line and was the largest liner in the world at the time. The original Titanic was built in Belfast.
