China Shipyard Upgrades Ready to Build 'Titanic ll'

CSC Jinling Shipyard Co Ltd in Nanjing is to build a replica for Blue Star Line of the liner that notoriously sank in 1912.

The project, which will take the state-owned CSC Jinling Shipyard Co Ltd in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, three years to complete, is financed by Australian billionaire Clive Palmer, China Daily reported.

Plans call for the Titanic II to make its maiden voyage from England to the United States in 2016 with 900 crew members and 2,400 passengers, following the trans-Atlantic track of the original Titanic.

The formal construction contract has not yet been signed between the shipyard and Blue Star Line, a wholly owned subsidiary of Palmer's mining company, but it is intended that the 270-meter-long and 53-meter-high liner will have nine floors and 840 rooms, and be equipped with deluxe cabins, gymnasiums, swimming pools and libraries.

Leading shipyards and ship-design companies, including Finland's Deltamarin, have been invited to join the construction work of Titanic II, according to a Jinling Shipyard spokesperson. The liner will be equipped with advanced technologies, including the latest life-saving and communications systems, to meet the requirements of modern navigation.

The original Titanic sank off Newfoundland after hitting an iceberg April 15, 1912, on its maiden voyage, killing 1,523 people.

Source: China Daily