An Australian billionaire who wants to rescue the Titanic hopes to set sail as early as 2027, after having already had to delay his plans twice by recreating a “superior” replica of the ship to complete the same voyage.
“We are bringing back the world's best builders, designers and engineers to build Titanic II,” mining magnate Clive Palmer announced at an event at the Sydney Opera House on Wednesday, according to The Guardian.
As the saying goes, “two without three,” the 69-year-old billionaire spoke to reporters for the third time on Wednesday, saying he wants to launch Titanic II in 2027, British media reported.
The 60-year-old, who has been dragging out the project for nearly 10 years, was forced to stop work for the first time in 2015 after losing funding due to a dispute with Chinese firm Citic. At his pace for the second time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he would have reported on Wednesday.
During this time, the billionaire told the crowd that he would have “enough money to build the Titanic 10 times over” and that, approaching 70 years old, he could die doing nothing.
“But I can build the Titanic [donc] I'm going to build the Titanic. “Building Titanic was more fun than sitting at home counting my money,” he told reporters, according to The Guardian.
If he starts calls for tenders in June to sign contracts in December and start construction early next year, he estimates the replica could leave New York in June 2027 to recreate the same route as planned. For the Titanic in 1912.
The value of the project ranges from $500 million to $1 billion. With the same interior, including a ballroom, swimming pool and Turkish bath, the ship will be “far superior” to the original, with “modern safety practices, navigation systems and 21st century technology », according to British media.
