Everyone is familiar with the tragic tale of the Titanic and the, now classic, movie starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio and for those who didn’t know, it was indeed a real ship.
A life size replica of the ocean liner will be undertaking a two-week voyage to Dubai in 2022 before ferrying passengers to and from the UK and New York – using the same route as the original Titanic.
Clive Palmer, the Australian billionaire financing the USD500m project said, “After a shakedown cruise from the shipyard to Singapore, we’ll offer a two-week maiden voyage to Dubai, with another grand voyage from Dubai to Southampton,” speaking to Cruise Arabia & Africa.
The Titanic replica is currently under construction in Sichuan, China and is the breakthrough idea of Blue Star Line, the same company that created the original ship which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean in 1912. The passenger ship crashed into an iceberg along its journey to New York. Recreating a functioning copy of the infamous Titanic ship has been on the cards since the release of James Cameron’s 1997 blockbuster, in which Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet are lovers who met on the ship and separated tragically as the ship sank.
The ship’s replica was first unveiled at gala events in China, the US, Canada and the UK in 2012, and revealed that the ship would feature dining rooms, cabins, a ballroom, theatre, and swimming pool identical to those on the original vessel. Clive Palmer also stated, “Blue Star Line will create an authentic Titanic experience, providing passengers with a ship that has the same interiors and cabin layout as the original vessel, while integrating modern safety procedures, navigation methods and 21st century technology to produce the highest levels of luxurious comfort. The ship is said to be able to accommodate 2,400 passengers and 900 crew members and will also have modern services such as wifi.
Estimated to set sail in 2022 means that the ship will operate exactly 110 after the original Titanic left its dock.
