The Titanic II replica project could go ahead after all, after almost a decade of stagnation, uncertainty over funding, and disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The project’s primary backer, Australian billionaire Clive Palmer, told local reports that he remained comitted to the plan and was currently looking for a suitable shipyard to construct the ship.

This will be Palmer’s third attempt to get the Titanic II project going. He announced the ambitious plans for a replica Titanic cruise ship, modernised for safety but identical to the original ship in every way possible, back in 2012.

In 2015, he made headlines by confirming that Titanic II would sail to Dubai on her maiden voyage, but then uncertainty over funding put the project on hold. In 2018, Palmer announced that the project would go ahead, but then the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, putting the project on hold.

The extraordinary expense associated with building a cruise ship from scratch, to a unique design (estimated at around US $700 million), does not deter him, Palmer, who is worth about US $4 billion) told reporters.

“It’s a lot more fun to do the Titanic than it is to sit at home and count my money,” he said. 

“We are very pleased to announce that after unforeseen delays, we have re-engaged with partners to bring the dream of Titanic ll to life,” Palmer added. 

“We are getting the best shipbuilders, designers, and engineers in the world back on deck to build Titanic ll.”

Palmer is chairman of Blue Star Line, the company behind the Titanic II project, inspired by White Star Line, the passenger shipping company that owned the original Titanic.

According to Palmer, the strong revival of the cruise industry following the pandemic, as well as the robust demand for cruises in the Australian market, show that the project has potential.

Blue Star Line has reportedly engaged some of the best names in the industry to wek on the project.

Finland-based ship design firm Deltamarin has reviewed the project for safety compliance, while V.Ships Leisure and Sweden-based Tillberg Design are also involved. 

Palmer said the modern Titanic will have the same interiors and cabin layout, with the only changes in her design being those necessitated by modern safety standards. 

A key example is the positioning of the ship’s lifeboats lower in the superstructure, along her promenade deck.

Titanic II will be 269 meters (833 feet) long and 32.2 meters (105 feet) wide, with a capacity for 2,345 passengers. 

Renderings of the ship show she will retain the iconic smokestacks of the original Titanic, but Blue Star Line has confirmed she will be diesel powered and not coal-fired like the original.