Return of Titanic, Replica ship to sail in 2022

October 25: The original Titanic, which was once the largest vehicle ever built, sunk after hitting an iceberg and killed more than 1,503 people in April 1912. Titanic II, a full-sized replica of the RMS Titanic that sank on its maiden voyage, is reportedly set to sail across the Atlantic in 2022.

Although initial reports said the new ship is being constructed in China by the Australian company Blue Star Line, one of its spokespersons has reportedly confirmed that no dates had been announced yet. Also, the building work is yet to begin and ship builders yet to be contracted.

Titanic II is set to sail across the Atlantic and will retrace the original route and carry nearly the exact same number of passengers and crew members as the original ship had which is 2,400 and 900 respectively. Building the boat – which will have the same interiors and cabin layout as the original vessel, complete with ballroom and Turkish baths, with reports passengers will be given period costumes to wear – has been a long-held dream of Clive Palmer, an Australian businessman and conservative politician.

However, it is equipped with additional modern safety features like more lifeboats and modern navigation, radar equipment, to avoid an incident of the past. Expected to cost approximately $500 million, Titanic II is slated to start its two-week maiden voyage from Dubai to Southampton, England, and then on to New York City, via the Southampton-New York route. The ticket system will also be like the original ship with first, second and third-class bookings.

The project was first announced in 2012 but has faced years of delays, with work suspended in 2015 after a payment dispute between one of Palmer’s companies and Chinese company Citic starved the project of funds.