by Donald Wood
Last updated: 3:00 PM ET, Fri February 12, 2016
Rendering courtesy of Blue Star Lines
Once scheduled to make its first voyage in 2016, the estimated completion for the fully functional Titanic II cruise ship has been pushed back to 2018 and its maiden route has been officially changed.
According to Claire McNeilly of The Belfast Telegraph, plans for construction of the replica of the original Titanic, financed by Australian billionaire Clive Palmer, were initially announced in April 2012.
Instead of running its maiden voyage along the same route as the original ship that sank in 1912, sailing from Southampton, England, to New York, Titanic II is scheduled to sail from Jiangsu, China-where the vessel is being built by Chinese shipyard CSC Jinling-to Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
While the ship has been designed to be almost an exact replica, some fundamental changes had to be made to ensure the vessel would meet current maritime regulations. Some of the improvements include making the ship four meters wider, building the hull with welds instead of rivets and having more lifeboats onboard.
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There will be subtle changes, but Titanic II will still feature many of the original luxuries of the sunken ship, including Turkish baths, gymnasiums, a grand staircase, swimming pools and first, second and third-class room options.
Titanic II will also feature 840 cabins to carry the 2,400 passengers and 900 crew members, and will measure around 886 feet long, 174 feet high and weigh over 44,000 tons.
Blue Star Line Glbal Marketing Director James McDonald told The Belfast Telegraph:
"The new Titanic will of course have modern evacuation procedures, satellite controls, digital navigation and radar systems and all those things you'd expect on a 21st century ship."
READ MORE:Captivating Video Illustrates Titanic's Remarkable Engineering and Technology
"We are not looking for investment from Dubai, as it is a project we are funding ourselves, but we have been in contact with a number of companies based in the Emirates who are looking at utilizing opportunities that arises with the project."
"It is people looking to use the opportunity of the trademark and licensing potential of the project... We own the Titanic II name and trademark and people are lining up to be part of it."
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