An undated artist's rendering of the proposed cruise ship Titanic II, provided by the Blue Star Line as Australian billionaire Clive Palmer unveiled plans for his dream ship during a news conference in New York February 26, 2013.
Australian mining entrepreneur Clive Palmer on Tuesday unveiled blueprints for Titanic II, a modern replica of the doomed ocean liner, although he stopped short of calling the vessel unsinkable.
The ship will largely recreate the design and decor of the fabled original, with some modifications to keep it in line with current safety rules and shipbuilding practices, and the addition of some modern comforts such as air conditioning, Palmer said at a press conference in New York.
The three passenger classes, however, will be prevented from mingling, as in 1912, Palmer said.
"I'm not too superstitious," Palmer said when asked whether recreating a ship best known for sinking was tempting fate.
White Star Line, the operator of the original ship, had said the Titanic was designed to be unsinkable. Some 1,500 people died on Titanic's maiden voyage in 1912 from Southampton to New York after the ship collided with an iceberg in the North Atlantic.
Palmer, who created the company Blue Star Line last year, declined to make a similar boast.
"Anything will sink if you put a hole in it," Palmer said. "I think it would be very cavalier to say it."
Unlike the original, Titanic II will have more than enough space in its lifeboats for every person on board and will have additional escape staircases. Markku Kanerva, sales director at Deltamarin, the Finnish company designing the ship, said it would be the "safest cruise ship in the world."
Palmer declined to answer questions about the project's cost. Although the Titanic was the world's largest ship in her time, she would be smaller than many of today's modern cruise ships.
"It's not about the money," Palmer said. "I've got enough money for it, I think that's all that matters."
Forbes estimated Palmer's net worth to be $795 million in 2012. He describes himself as a billionaire.
Titanic II will be built by Chinese state-owned CSC Jinling Shipyard, which is already building four ore carriers for Palmer's mining business, he said. The contract to build Titanic II has not yet been signed, Palmer said.
澳大利亞礦業企業家克萊夫•帕爾默周二公布了「泰坦尼克二號」的設計藍圖，這一設計是對那艘沉沒的遠洋班輪的現代複製版，不過他不再號稱這艘船「永不沉沒」。
帕爾默在紐約的一個新聞發布會上說，這艘船很大部分將重現傳說中老鐵達尼號的設計和裝修風格，在這一基礎上做了一些修改以符合現在的安全規定和造船慣例，並增加了一些現代化舒適設備，比如空調。
帕爾默說，三個不同等級艙位的船客將不能像1912年時那樣可以互相走動。
當被問及重建一艘因沉沒而聞名的船是否在挑戰命運時，帕爾默說：「我沒有那麼迷信。」
老鐵達尼號的運營商英國白星航運公司說過，鐵達尼號的設計將讓它「永不沉沒」。1912年，鐵達尼號在從南安普敦駛往紐約的處女航中，和北大西洋的一座冰山相撞沉沒，約有1500人在這一船難中喪生。
去年創立藍星航運公司的帕爾默不願誇下這樣的海口。
帕爾默說：「任何東西如果被鑽了個洞都會下沉。我認為說這種話也太目空一切了。」
和老鐵達尼號不同，泰坦尼克二號上的救生船將有足夠空間讓船上的每個人都能乘坐，而且還將增設逃生梯。設計這一新船的芬蘭德他馬林公司的銷售總監馬庫•卡內瓦稱，這將是「世界上最安全的大型遊輪」。
帕爾默拒絕回答有關該工程花費的問題。儘管老鐵達尼號在當時是全世界最大的船，但是它比如今的很多現代豪華遊輪都小。
帕爾默說：「這與錢無關。我有足夠的錢建造它，我想這才是最重要的。」
福布斯估計帕爾默2012年的淨資產為7.95億美元。他自稱是億萬富翁。
帕爾默說，泰坦尼克二號將由中國國營企業中國長江航運集團金陵船廠承建，該船廠已經為帕爾默的礦業建造過四艘礦砂船。他說，建造泰坦尼克二號的合同尚未籤署。
Vocabulary:
stop short of: 決定不做某事
(兼職編輯：藍奕婷)