For more than a decade, Australian billionaire Clive Palmer has been the driving force behind plans to build Titanic II – a replica of the ill-fated ship that sank in 1912 with more than 2,200 people on board.
Only about 700 survived, creating history as the world’s most disastrous voyage – and the light bulb of an idea for a billionaire with an interest in cruising and cash to burn.
Palmer first launched plans for Titanic II in 2012, and again in 2018.
Six years later, he’s done it again, relaunching the project on Wednesday during a press briefing at Sydney Opera House against the backdrop of the city’s famed harbour.
Once again, the question is why?
“It’s a lot more fun to do the Titanic than it is to sit at home and count my money,” Palmer reportedly told local media with the blunt honesty of a man who earns almost half a billion dollars in mining royalties every year.
For Palmer the question is not how to earn money, but where to spend it.
When he first floated his dream of building a more buoyant version of the Titanic more than a decade ago, the popular view was that he was rich and eccentric enough to do it.
But headwinds of the pandemic hit, and the multimillion-dollar project was put on hold as ports closed and passengers reassessed their risk appetite for being quarantined at sea.
Palmer, chairman of the Blue Star Line company behind the Titanic project, also had other issues on his agenda.
In recent years he’s launched multiple court cases against state and federal governments.
He took on the Western Australian state government during in the pandemic. Another High Court loss came when he sought billions of dollars in damages from the over its decision to block his access to compensation over an iron ore project.
He’s now taking that to an international tribunal, seeking almost US from the federal government.
Then there’s his bids for political office, as the founder of the United Australia Party, registered in 2018, whose policies included an Australian Bill of Rights and bans on COVID lockdowns and vaccine mandates.
He famously spent millions of dollars on advertising for and the party was deregistered in 2022.
Now the pandemic has passed, and cruise ships are once again at sea, Palmer said the time is right to revive his Titanic dream.
“We are very pleased to announce that after unforeseen global delays, we have re-engaged with partners to bring the dream of Titanic ll to life. Let the journey begin,’’ Palmer said in a press release.
The plans are very similar to previous iterations, checked to ensure they comply with current regulations.
Tenders are being sought, with plans to confirm a shipbuilder by the end of the year, to begin work in the first quarter of 2025.
Right now, Palmer expects the winning bidders to be based in Europe. He doesn’t believe Chinese standards are up to the task, he told reporters.
At the relaunch, his team distributed an eight-minute video that’s been around for several years, showing the layout of the ship and how each room will look, complete with actors dressed in period costume.
Passengers will be encouraged to dress for the 1900s, but it’s not mandatory, a spokesperson said.
The ship itself will be 269 metres (833 feet) long and 32.2 metres (105 feet) wide – slightly wider than the original. Capacity will be 2,345 passengers spread across nine decks with 835 cabins. Almost half of those will be reserved for first-class passengers.
Third-class passengers will be treated to stew and mash at long tables in a communal dining room – as they were on the original boat – though a spokesperson said other meals will also be available for those who want a less authentic experience.
More than a century after the Titanic went down, researchers and historians remain captivated by its story.
The tragedy inspired James Cameron’s Oscar-winning 1997 blockbuster “Titanic,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, and has fascinated amateur explorers drawn to the wreck.
One such mission ended in tragedy in June last year when all five passengers aboard the Titan submersible were killed when the vessel suffered a catastrophic implosion en route to the wreckage.
Palmer wants to replicate the Titanic – without the tragic ending – and he also wants world peace.
“We all know how to make war. We get armies and we fund wars. People know about that. But it is a lot harder to make peace. To make peace you have got to stick with it every day. You progress inch by inch,” he said in the press release.
“Titanic ll is something that can provide peace. It can be a ship of peace between all countries of the world.
“Millions have dreamt of sailing on her, seeing her in port and experiencing her unique majesty. Titanic ll will be the ship where those dreams come true,’’ Palmer said.
Canada’s budget watchdog says the federal government may not meet its fiscal anchors if it acquiesces to the Bloc Quebecois' demand to expand seniors benefits in exchange for keeping the minority Liberals in power.
MPs debated the first non-confidence motion of the fall House of Commons sitting today, seeing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre push once again for a snap election. But with votes secured to keep them afloat, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberals were quick to turn the discussion into a referendum on the Conservative alternative.
An image of the unidentified object shot down over Canada's Yukon territory in February 2023 has been obtained by CTVNews.ca.
We've all had neighbours we didn't like, but two people from Sault Ste. Marie have been awarded more than half a million dollars for the 'extreme' behaviour of the people who lived next to them.
鶹ý and the Investigative Journalism Foundation spoke with a Canadian who claims his identity was stolen and used to set up a series of companies peddling fraudulent investment schemes.
An 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in a caught-on-video incident in Mississauga earlier this month is now facing auto theft charges in Toronto.
Questions are being raised over the use of body cameras in stores as a way to combat crime.
Premier Danielle Smith says she plans to reinforce the right to decide whether to receive a vaccination or other medical procedure in changes to the Alberta Bill of Rights.
Donald Trump flubbed the name of Charlottesville, Virginia, while going off script during a speech on Tuesday otherwise focused on economic policy, slamming U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris for lying about 'Charlottestown.'
Four puppies were found near County Road 21 in Essa Township after a passerby spotted one when it ran out of the ditch and onto the road.
More Canadians are installing solar panels on their homes, but some are facing challenges when it comes to getting home insurance after the panels are put in.
鶹ý and the Investigative Journalism Foundation spoke with a Canadian who claims his identity was stolen and used to set up a series of companies peddling fraudulent investment schemes.
A Calgary man is facing child pornography charges after an investigation uncovered years of messages exchanged with an alleged felon.
The calls are growing louder for city council to tighten the rules governing short-term accommodations, including those advertised on websites like Airbnb and Vrbo, after students arrived by the busload at a rented house in the Masonville neighbourhood.
Questions are being raised over the use of body cameras in stores as a way to combat crime.
Special counsel Jack Smith this week will be allowed to file hundreds of pages of legal arguments and evidence gathered in the 2020 election subversion and Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol attack criminal case against former president Donald Trump, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.
A federal judge sentenced FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried’s former girlfriend to two years in prison, citing her extensive cooperation with prosecutors that led to the conviction of the former face of the cryptocurrency industry in one of the largest financial frauds in U.S. history.
A former Memphis police officer who has pleaded guilty to violating Tyre Nichols’s civil rights testified in tears Tuesday, saying he left Nichols’s young son fatherless, that he was sorry and that he wishes he had stopped the punches.
Prince Harry said today's youth is in the midst of an 'epidemic' of anxiety, depression and social isolation due to negative experiences online, as he brought his campaign to help children and their parents navigate cyberspace to this week's Clinton Global Initiative.
Donald Trump flubbed the name of Charlottesville, Virginia, while going off script during a speech on Tuesday otherwise focused on economic policy, slamming U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris for lying about 'Charlottestown.'
Japan's top diplomat asked China to ensure the safety of Japanese citizens there after the fatal stabbing of a Japanese schoolboy, and demanded a crackdown on what she called 'groundless, malicious and anti-Japanese' social media posts that threaten children's safety.
U.S. President Joe Biden reflected on the motivation behind his decision to step away from politics and sent a message of unity to global leaders gathered at a time of increasing division and geopolitical instability.
MPs debated the first non-confidence motion of the fall House of Commons sitting today, seeing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre push once again for a snap election. But with votes secured to keep them afloat, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberals were quick to turn the discussion into a referendum on the Conservative alternative.
Canada’s budget watchdog says the federal government may not meet its fiscal anchors if it acquiesces to the Bloc Quebecois' demand to expand seniors benefits in exchange for keeping the minority Liberals in power.
The federal Liberals are creating a new agency to beef up Canada's ability to handle rapidly spreading infectious diseases and protect from future pandemics.
The province has announced a new plan to lower the age for mammogram self-referrals to 40 from 50 in an effort to get more Manitobans screened for breast cancer.
Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, season is just a few months away, but new vaccine options have already arrived for Ontario residents who may be vulnerable to the winter bug.
Questions are being raised over the use of body cameras in stores as a way to combat crime.
Scientists have discovered a new species of ghost shark that lives in deep ocean waters near Australia and New Zealand.
A new analysis of dozens of arrowheads is helping researchers piece together a clearer portrait of the warriors who clashed on Europe’s oldest known battlefield 3,250 years ago.
Canadian rapper Drake and rockers Arkells are among the top musical talent set to be toasted at the SOCAN Awards tonight.
Another woman sued Sean 'Diddy' Combs on Tuesday, alleging that the music mogul and his head of security raped her and recorded it on video at his New York recording studio in 2001.
The Crown's key witness in the sexual assault trial against former Hedley frontman Jacob Hoggard will take the stand in a northern Ontario courtroom Tuesday afternoon following the judge's instructions to the jury.
Given the continued progress the Bank of Canada has made in bringing inflation back down to the 2 per cent target, it is reasonable to expect more rate cuts, Governor Tiff Macklem said on Tuesday.
Some Royal Bank of Canada employees who joined when the bank acquired HSBC Canada worry they could lose their jobs when RBC's six-month guarantee to keep them expires this month, according to six sources familiar with the situation.
Metro Vancouver grain terminal workers are now on strike, bringing tens of millions of dollars of exports to a standstill.
From cellphone 'hotels' to patchwork policies to recalibrating lesson plans, teachers and schools across Canada are learning to navigate a classroom without cellphones.
An ordinary day on the job delivering mail in East Elmwood quickly turned dramatic for Canada Post letter carrier Jared Plourde. A woman on his route was calling out in distress.
The Newcomers Football Club, an impromptu team made up of asylum-seekers, has helped provide Boubacar Lukaku and others with a joy that erases their stress. And it's helped connect them with a supportive community as they navigate the challenges of a new country.
Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre revealed Tuesday at a hearing on federal welfare reform that he has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
American gymnast Jordan Chiles’s legal team has submitted a new application in the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland over the decision that led to her losing an Olympic bronze medal, pointing toward new video evidence that Chiles’s lawyers say proves her case.
Reid Carruthers seeks a three-peat in curling's quirky PointsBet Invitational that's become an unofficial season kickoff because of money, field and visibility.
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) reported this week that officers in the agency's Montreal Marine and Rail Services seized 78 vehicles and transferred them to police. Numbers of stolen vehicles in Quebec continue to skyrocket.
Struggling Jeep and Ram maker Stellantis is looking for a CEO to succeed Carlos Tavares, but the company says it's just part of a normal leadership succession plan.
The U.S. Commerce Department on Monday will propose a ban on the sale or import of smart vehicles that use specific Chinese or Russian technology because of national security concerns, according to U.S. officials.
An ordinary day on the job delivering mail in East Elmwood quickly turned dramatic for Canada Post letter carrier Jared Plourde. A woman on his route was calling out in distress.
Fire has destroyed a barn and 17,000 plants at a family-owned business in Lower Coverdale, N.B.
Before influencers on social media, Canada’s Jeanne Beker was bringing the world of high fashion down to earth and as Calgary’s Glenbow Museum gets a major make-over, it will include a new exhibition showcasing the pop culture icon.
A sea lion swam free after a rescue team disentangled it near Vancouver Island earlier this week.
A Nova Scotian YouTuber has launched a mini-truck bookmobile.
Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.
Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.
An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.
They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.
A city councillor in British Columbia says an online mob of "extremists" and "politically motivated hackers" is responsible for uncovering and publicizing a photo of him wearing a blackface costume to a Halloween party in 2007.
A trio of B.C. Mounties who were suspended three years ago over their alleged participation in an "atrocious," "racist" and "horrible" group chat are currently receiving their salaries, the federal police force has confirmed.
Video of a B.C. man's surprise encounter with a black bear has gone viral online, generating much discussion about how to best respond when face-to-face with an aggressive animal.
An 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in a caught-on-video incident in Mississauga earlier this month is now facing auto theft charges in Toronto.
A woman fatally struck in a collision in The Junction neighbourhood on Monday evening is being remembered as a 'wonderful and beautiful person' who was a beloved member of Toronto's jazz community.
Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, season is just a few months away, but new vaccine options have already arrived for Ontario residents who may be vulnerable to the winter bug.
Premier Danielle Smith says she plans to reinforce the right to decide whether to receive a vaccination or other medical procedure in changes to the Alberta Bill of Rights.
A Calgary man is facing child pornography charges after an investigation uncovered years of messages exchanged with an alleged felon.
The Calgary Food Bank is facing a challenge – demand for food is high, while donations are down.
Ottawa police say two people under the age of 18 have been arrested following an incident that prompted a lockdown at Glebe Collegiate Institute around the noon hour Tuesday.
After Ontario Premier Doug Ford made controversial comments about solutions to get people out of homeless encampments, advocates and members of the opposition spoke up on Tuesday.
As sirens sound in Lebanon amid escalating violence between Israel and militant group Hezbollah, many Ottawa residents with family there find it hard to watch.
The heat is rising for Quebec Premier François Legault as opposition parties demand answers about his government's investment in the planned Northvolt battery factory near Montreal.
Quebec's language watchdog received a record number of complaints from citizens last year and carried out an increasing number of inspections on employers.
Quebec's minister responsible for relations with First Nations and Inuit says northern communities can't opt out of paying their electricity bills.
One person was hospitalized after a crash involving a Valley Line Southeast LRT train and a semi Tuesday morning.
A transgender Albertan says it would be a slap in the face if Premier Danielle Smith allows back into the government caucus a member who once compared transgender children to feces.
Premier Danielle Smith says she plans to reinforce the right to decide whether to receive a vaccination or other medical procedure in changes to the Alberta Bill of Rights.
As temperatures cool down, the Halifax Regional Municipality is serving eviction notices to residents at one of the city’s larger tent encampments.
Antigonish County District RCMP is trying to track down a man wanted on a provincewide arrest warrant for sexual assault in Nova Scotia.
The Saint John Police Force is asking for the public’s help in locating Eric Martin, 48, who is wanted on a Canada-wide warrant.
Unions representing roughly 25,000 health-care support workers have issued a strike notice, alerting the province its members will walk off the job if a deal is not reached before a looming deadline.
The province has announced a new plan to lower the age for mammogram self-referrals to 40 from 50 in an effort to get more Manitobans screened for breast cancer.
Manitoba is struggling to hold on to its young nurses; however, the issue is not as bad in the province as it is in the rest of the country.
Saskatchewan RCMP remain at the scene of a "police incident" on Fishing Lake First Nation after it announced officers were in the area searching for a suspect wanted in a long list of armed robberies.
Regina police will be conducting a two-day traffic blitz in and around the city Tuesday and Wednesday.
A study from the University of Ottawa has laid out a damning portrait of the current state of violence and harassment educators face in schools, according to the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF).
A reward of up to $50K has been issued by Waterloo Regional Police for information leading to the conviction of the person or persons responsible for the fatal stabbing of 18-year-old Joshua Bennett.
A replacement plaque has been installed at a memorial for a Cambridge boy and a Waterloo Regional Police officer who drowned in 1998.
Environment Canada says southwestern Ontario could get up to 55 mm of rain by Wednesday morning.
A man and woman in Saskatoon who had two kilograms of methamphetamine seized from a home are going back to trial after having their acquittals overturned.
Saskatchewan RCMP remain at the scene of a "police incident" on Fishing Lake First Nation after it announced officers were in the area searching for a suspect wanted in a long list of armed robberies.
A study from the University of Ottawa has laid out a damning portrait of the current state of violence and harassment educators face in schools, according to the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF).
We've all had neighbours we didn't like, but two people from Sault Ste. Marie have been awarded more than half a million dollars for the 'extreme' behaviour of the people who lived next to them.
An image of the unidentified object shot down over Canada's Yukon territory in February 2023 has been obtained by CTVNews.ca.
A 49-year-old Sudbury woman who was killed in a tragic collision with a police boat June 7 on Nepewassi Lake was told to remain in a residence on an island until police returned to pick her up.
Budweiser Gardens will be going the way of the Skydome – London’s largest entertainment venue will officially be called Canada Life Place as of October 11.
“I was going to make breakfast, and I put the frying pan on the stove and opened it and remembered I needed something from No Frills,” said Frank Wall, who lives just north of Aylmer, Ont.
A model for the future of affordable housing neighbourhoods is rapidly taking shape in St. Thomas this week.
Three construction workers are being praised for their actions that police in Barrie say likely prevented an armed man from fleeing before being taken into custody.
Four puppies were found near County Road 21 in Essa Township after a passerby spotted one when it ran out of the ditch and onto the road.
An Uber driver was handed a 12-month driving ban on Tuesday following a collision that injured a pedestrian and killed a labrador retriever in Barrie.
A person from Windsor has died in a collision on Highway 59 in Oxford County.
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said that homeowners will see large cost-savings in the future, "because what we're doing is taking the storm water calculation and applying it properly.”
Windsor police officers are asking for the public’s help identifying and finding a suspect after a convenience store robbery in south Windsor.
A city councillor in British Columbia says an online mob of "extremists" and "politically motivated hackers" is responsible for uncovering and publicizing a photo of him wearing a blackface costume to a Halloween party in 2007.
A man and a woman from Nanaimo, B.C., are facing more than two dozen charges after police seized four guns and several hundred grams of illicit drugs following a complaint about drug trafficking in the city's downtown core.
Former British Columbia chief coroner Lisa Lapointe has emerged from retirement to throw her weight behind a BC Green's campaign pledge to expand safer supply of opioids and other drugs to deal with the province's deadly overdose crisis.
A pair of runaway pigs are in the custody of an animal sanctuary in the Okanagan after evading police and volunteers for hours earlier this week.
The Red Bridge, a historic landmark in Kamloops, B.C., was completely destroyed by fire early Thursday morning.
Animal protection officers in British Columbia have rescued three pit bulls – including one that gave birth to 10 puppies – from a rat-infested home in Kelowna.
To make higher education an easier step to take for Indigenous students, the University of Lethbridge is dropping some fees for those applicants.
Authorities arrested a man from Pincher Creek after shots were fired near a home on the Blood Tribe First Nation.
A former Lethbridge pastor who bilked millions out of hundreds of southern Albertans has appealed his conviction and sentence.
A 25-year-old suspect was charged with impaired driving Sept. 21 after police spotted two people without helmets on an ATV on Sand Bay Road in Goulais River.
A federal offender who was last seen in Sudbury is wanted on a Canada-wide warrant for allegedly breaching his statutory release conditions.
The Crown's key witness in the sexual assault trial against former Hedley frontman Jacob Hoggard will take the stand in a northern Ontario courtroom Tuesday afternoon following the judge's instructions to the jury.
Newfoundland and Labrador sponsored a minor football team in England, now they’re about to play one of the biggest clubs in European soccer.
Newfoundland and Labrador's chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
A 16-year-old biennial event aimed at fostering business in the country's eastern Arctic and northern regions has been cancelled indefinitely as a dispute unfolds between Inuit in Canada and a Labrador group claiming to share their heritage.
The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at 鶹ý. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.
