Plan to build Titanic replica revealed by Australian billionaire Clive Palmer

The Titanic II, 3D rendered in this image, would look identical to the original but have updated safety and technology features. Photo / Roderick Eime

An Australian billionaire has renewed his promise to build a replica of the most famous cruise ship in history, the Titanic.

Mining mogul Clive Palmer rented out a room at the Sydney Opera House on Wednesday to announce his designs for a ship that would be “far, far superior than the original”.

Those excited about the Titanic II ocean liner may want to cool their underwater jets, however, as while Palmer said the ship would hopefully sail the original Titanic’s maiden voyage in June 2027, this isn’t the first time the Queensland billionaire has made such promises.

In April 2012, Palmer announced plans to build Titanic II during a press conference at the Ritz hotel in London, the Guardian reported.

The launch date of 2016 was delayed to 2018, then 2022. Palmer said “unforeseen global delays” and the pandemic were to blame. A financial dispute in 2015 between Citic, a Chinese company, and one of Palmer’s companies, which halted progress until 2018, was also a factor.

However, this time, Palmer said he had even more money so was confident his dream would become a reality soon.

“I’ve got more money, so I can do it,” he said, allegedly adding that building a replica of the ship that sank on its maiden voyage was more fun than sitting at home and counting his money.

Construction for the nine-deck, 2500-passenger ship, which would cost around $1 billion to create, would start early next year. While a shipyard is yet to be secured and designs are not finalised, several global partners were signed on and a “couple of million people” had expressed interest.

Australian billionaire Clive Palmer wants to build a replica of Titanic.

The Titanic first set sail in 1912 and was heading from Southampton, England, to New York when it hit an iceberg and sank, killing around 1517 people.

According to Palmer, building the ship isn’t simply a fun way to spend his many billions of dollars but about improving society.

“It’s an epic example for all of us, of courage, resilience and of service, and I think they’re the things we’re missing in our society today,” he claimed.

The new ship would have nine decks and 835 cabins split into first class (383), second class (201) and third class (251). A copy of the vessel’s bridge would also feature, as well as a massive crystal chandelier and grand staircase.

“We are bringing in some of the best designers in the world for cruise shipping to make sure nothing is overlooked and we have a specification that is far, far superior than the original Titanic,” Palmer said.

As well as retracing the Titanic’s planned journey to New York, it will also sail elsewhere in the globe, with capacity for 2435 passengers.

While it may look like the Titanic inside and out, a statement from Blue Star Line said it would have “the latest navigation and safety systems”.