One of the world&rsquo;s richest men has unveiled plans to build a replica of the Titanic. Australian billionaire Clive Palmer, who already owns a luxury holiday resort and is reportedly Australia&rsquo;s fifth-richest person, expects the vessel &mdash; named Titanic II &mdash; to make its maiden voyage in 2016, sailing from Britain to New York. <img alt="" src="/imagedata/2012/may/titanic.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 304px; " /> Anchors away: Clive Palmer (below) has already commissioned the building of the replica of the Titanic to a Chinese company and hopes to set sail in 2016. pics/afp &ldquo;It will be every bit as luxurious as the original Titanic, but will have state-of-the-art 21st-century technology and the latest navigation and safety systems,&rdquo; said Palmer. <img alt="" src="/imagedata/2012/may/titanicBUILDER.jpg" style="float: right; width: 200px; height: 231px; " />He described the project as &ldquo;a tribute to the spirit of the men and women who worked on the original Titanic.&rdquo; More than 1,500 people died when the original Titanic struck an iceberg and sank in the North Atlantic on April 15, 1912. This year&rsquo;s 100th anniversary has seen dozens of events to remember those who perished, including the opening of a new visitor centre in Belfast and the sailing of a memorial cruise on Fred Olsen&rsquo;s Balmoral. Palmer said he has commissioned the state-owned Chinese company CSC Jinling Shipyard to build the replica, as well as three other luxury cruise ships. He added that he is working with a team of historical researchers to ensure the ship&rsquo;s design is as close as possible to the original. The diesel-powered vessel will have four funnels, although they will be purely decorative. There will be 840 cabins, nine decks and it will measure 270 metres long and 53 metres high. &ldquo;Titanic II will be the ultimate in comfort and luxury with on-board gymnasiums and swimming pools, libraries, high-class restaurants and luxury cabins,&rdquo; added Palmer. Changes will be made below the waterline, however. It will use welding and not riveting, and will have a more fuel-efficient design and an enlarged rudder for greater manoeuvrability. Construction is due to begin next year. u00a0

Australian billionaire Clive Palmer has announced plans to build a replica of the RMS Titanic as a tribute to the luxury liner, 100 years after the original ship's sinking

Doomed Titanic to be reborn

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Doomed Titanic to be reborn

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