12:26 PM
Jalal HB
100 years later after the tragedy of Titanic, the world's biggest sea liner which ever sailed in its time, the flamboyant Australian tycoon Clive Palmer unveiled his plan Tuesday for building a perfect replica of the Titanic. However, this time the sea liner will have a lot of extra lifeboats.
"The Titanic was the ship of dreams. Titanic II is the ship where dreams will come true," Palmer said in New York at the project's official launch.
Featuring the same rigid divisions as in 1912 between first, second and third class, passengers will eat either in an ornate dining room or at a long common table. "There'll be no mingling" between classes, Palmer said.
Passengers in the luxury section will enjoy the identical grand staircase and reproductions of the original Titanic's Turkish bath and swimming pool.
One modification that Palmer underlined is a vast improvement in the lifeboats, which were insufficient on the original ship, contributing to the loss of more than 1,500 people when it sank in icy waters.
Palmer said this time the ship would exceed regulatory requirements with top-of-the-range lifeboats that are "very safe."
At 833 feet (269 meters), the ship will be about a finger's length longer than the original, with room for 2,435 passengers and 900 crew.
If all goes according to plan, Titanic II will start by sailing from China to Southampton, England, and from there along the original, ill-fated route to New York. After, the ship would cruise mostly in the North Atlantic.
