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.
澳大利亚矿业企业家克莱夫•帕尔默周二公布了“泰坦尼克二号”的设计蓝图，这一设计是对那艘沉没的远洋班轮的现代复制版，不过他不再号称这艘船“永不沉没”。
帕尔默在纽约的一个新闻发布会上说，这艘船很大部分将重现传说中老泰坦尼克号的设计和装修风格，在这一基础上做了一些修改以符合现在的安全规定和造船惯例，并增加了一些现代化舒适设备，比如空调。
帕尔默说，三个不同等级舱位的船客将不能像1912年时那样可以互相走动。
当被问及重建一艘因沉没而闻名的船是否在挑战命运时，帕尔默说：“我没有那么迷信。”
老泰坦尼克号的运营商英国白星航运公司说过，泰坦尼克号的设计将让它“永不沉没”。1912年，泰坦尼克号在从南安普敦驶往纽约的处女航中，和北大西洋的一座冰山相撞沉没，约有1500人在这一船难中丧生。
去年创立蓝星航运公司的帕尔默不愿夸下这样的海口。
帕尔默说：“任何东西如果被钻了个洞都会下沉。我认为说这种话也太目空一切了。”
和老泰坦尼克号不同，泰坦尼克二号上的救生船将有足够空间让船上的每个人都能乘坐，而且还将增设逃生梯。设计这一新船的芬兰德他马林公司的销售总监马库•卡内瓦称，这将是“世界上最安全的大型游轮”。
帕尔默拒绝回答有关该工程花费的问题。尽管老泰坦尼克号在当时是全世界最大的船，但是它比如今的很多现代豪华游轮都小。
帕尔默说：“这与钱无关。我有足够的钱建造它，我想这才是最重要的。”
福布斯估计帕尔默2012年的净资产为7.95亿美元。他自称是亿万富翁。
帕尔默说，泰坦尼克二号将由中国国营企业中国长江航运集团金陵船厂承建，该船厂已经为帕尔默的矿业建造过四艘矿砂船。他说，建造泰坦尼克二号的合同尚未签署。
stop short of: 决定不做某事