69-year-old Clive Palmer rented a room in the mighty Opera House in Sydney on Wednesday to speak to the press about his new project. And of course there were a lot of journalists there: the Australian billionaire and politician, who became rich thanks to investments in the mining industry, is always good for some spectacle.
“We hope that the second Titanic can act as a catalyst to reinvigorate some of the values we have as humanity, which will hopefully lead to peace.”
Clive Palmer (69)
Australian billionaire
But Palmer did not come up with particularly original plans. He dusted off a project that he had already proposed ten years ago with much fanfare at the Ritz Hotel in London: building a replica of the legendary Titanic and actually taking to the water. His company Blue Star Line will “recreate the love ship and ultimate example of style and luxury as in the past,” he said.
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© AP
Pandemic
According to Palmer, there are many reasons why this replica has not been created until now. There was the corona pandemic, but also all kinds of legal disputes and “other hassle”. When the journalists present asked him whether this new attempt was simply seeking attention, he dismissed it as “nonsense”.
Why would he succeed now? “I have enough money to build ten of those replicas. I can do this, and I’m going to do it. By the way, recreating the Titanic is much more fun than just sitting at home and counting my money. What you need to be happy is someone who loves you, a place to sleep and enough money for good food. Everything else is an illusion. Kind of like golf,” Palmer said, without really answering the question.
The billionaire said he was confident he would manage to find a construction site that could start building the Titanic early next year. The first — and only — voyage that the legendary ship ever undertook, from Southampton to New York, is scheduled for June 2027. He wants to start the tenders in June and the contracts would be signed in December. According to Palmer, the 56,000-ton ship will cost between $500 million and $1 billion (between €457,000 and €914,000).
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Palmer wants to recreate “the love ship and ultimate example of style and luxury as in the past”. — © AP
At the press conference, 3D images and videos were shown of what the replica would look like. “I’m bringing on board the best designers in the world to make it the best it can be,” Palmer said. Like the original ship, there should be a ballroom, swimming pool and Turkish baths.
1912
The real Titanic struck an iceberg and sank on April 15, 1912, killing more than 1,500 passengers and crew. James Cameron’s 1997 Hollywood film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet made the ship’s story known worldwide.
According to Palmer, the love story of Jack and Rose (the names of DiCaprio and Winslet in the film, ed.) is one that “touches everyone’s heart.” “We hope that the second Titanic can act as a catalyst to reinvigorate some of the values we have as humanity, which will hopefully lead to peace.”