Australian billionaire to build Titanic II which is slated to set sail in 2027
Australian billionaire Clive Palmer has revived his dream to build a replica of the Titanic—an iconic ship that sank in 1912—and it is slated to set sail on the same route in June 2027.
On March 13, the 69-year-old billionaire held a press conference at Sydney Opera House to share that he is reviving his plan to recreate the sunken ship, which was first announced in 2012 but met a fallout with a partner Chinese company, as per The Guardian.
The idea was relaunched in 2018 and was supposed to set sail in 2022 but got delayed again due to restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The replica weighs approximately 56,000 tonnes and will have nine decks. It will also have a total of 835 cabins which will cater for 2,435 passengers.
The ship will also have the layout of the original vessel, including the ballroom, the bridge, the swimming pool, and Turkish baths. A diesel engine will power the new one but it will have the same four smoke stacks as the original coal-powered Titanic.
“We are getting the best ship-builders, designers, and engineers in the world back on deck to build Titanic ll,’’ the billionaire said, as shared on X (formerly Twitter).
Some of their partners include Finnish company Deltamarin, Blue Star Line, and Tillberg Design—the same team behind ocean liners Queen Elizabeth 2 and Queen Mary 2.
Palmer said that he is planning to begin construction early in 2025 and to set sail in June 2027 from Southampton, England to New York, the same route as the original vessel in 1912.
“Titanic ll is something that needed to be built. We all know how to make war. We get armies and we fund wars. People know about that. But it is a lot harder to make peace. To make peace you have got to stick with it every day. You progress inch by inch,” he said during the press conference.
“Titanic ll is something that can provide peace. It can be a ship of peace between all countries of the world,” he added.
The original Titanic sunk in the Atlantic in April 1912 after hitting an iceberg. The unfortunate incident caused the death of an estimated 1,500 passengers and crew.
The incident inspired James Cameron’s 1997 hit romantic film, which starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet and won 11 Oscars, including Best Actress for Winslet's portrayal.
