Australian Billionaire Designing Titanic Replica

For those inclined towards superstition, an Australian billionaire is tempting fate. For those who went to view James Cameron’s Titanic 3D on opening weekend, an Australian billionaire is financing the opportunity of a lifetime.
Either way you see it, Clive Palmer announced Monday he has embarked on a voyage to develop an exact replica of the RMS Titanic–to be named Titanic II–just a few weeks after the original commemorated the 100th anniversary of its sinking.
“It will be every bit as luxurious as the original Titanic, but…will have state-of-the-art 21^st-century technology and the latest navigation and safety systems,” Palmer told Associated Press. 
Palmer, named the fifth richest man in Australia with $5.2 billion dollars by BRW Magazine, distinguishes himself from prior attempts at recreating the iconic cruise liner by reporting he has already commissioned the Chinese CSC Jinling Shipyard to build Titanic II (he claimed in a press conference his predecessors failed to fund-raise enough for this step, The Christian Science Monitor reports).
Titanic II will be the first of four cruise ships the former real estate and mining mogul will build under the name of his newly-developed shipping company, Blue Star Pty. Ltd. Palmer and a historical research team have already begun designing the luxury liner, which will have the original’s four signature smokestacks on top for looks only. Differentiations largely occur in the ship’s underbelly, where welding will replace rivets and the ship will sport “a bulbous bow for greater fuel efficiency and enlarged rudder and bow thrusters for increased maneuverability,” Palmer said at the press conference.
Meant to be “a tribute to the spirit of the men and women who worked on the original Titanic,” Titanic II will chart her maiden voyage from England to New York–just like the original.
But while the RMS Titanic claimed the title of being the largest luxury liner at its time, its 883-foot, 1,680 passenger proportions are dwarfed by the likes of today’s title-owners–Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas boasts 1,180 feet and 2,700 cabins.
General manager for Australia and New Zealand in the International Cruise Council Brett Jardine doesn’t think size will matter in Titanic II‘s case.
“If you’ve got a niche, it’s going to work. Why go out there and try to compete with the mass market products that are out there now?” he said.
Titanic II is due to set sail sometime in 2016. No word yet on ticket sales.