The Return of the Unsinkable: Billionaire Commissions Titanic II to be Built

An Australian mining tycoon has recently made headlines after commissioning a Chinese shipyard to recreate the doomed Titanic in replica form. Every detail will be virtually identical, aside from modern technological equipment onboard to prevent another fateful maiden voyage.

Clive Palmer, a Queensland mining billionaire with strong links to China, has reportedly signed a memorandum of understanding with CSC Jinling Shipyard to build the ship. He said construction of the luxury cruise ship would begin next year and the ship would be ready to sail in 2016, reports CNN. His goal with this project is to build a ship that is as luxurious at the original RMS Titanic was, but with 21st century technology, and state-of-the-art navigation and safety systems. The Titanic II will, like its predecessor, have 840 rooms on nine decks.

The mining mogul also owns a luxury resort on Australia's Sunshine Coast and plans to build a fleet of luxury liners in the future. The ships would sail under his company, to be named Blue Star Line in reference to the Titanic's owner.

The new vessel is scheduled to make its maiden voyage from London to New York in late 2016 accompanied by the Chinese navy, if everything remains on course. The cost of the construction of the new ship has not yet been revealed. Some analysts are concerned about the challenges that this build will bring to a Chinese company, as they mainly build bulk ships.

The original Titanic – the largest ship of its type at the time – sank 100 years ago when it struck an iceberg on the night of April 15, 1912, on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York. More than 1,500 people perished in the disaster. The ship had been declared as unsinkable.