A Chinese shipyard has formed a panel and upgraded its facilities to prepare for the construction of a replica of the Titanic for an Australian billionaire.
According to the State-owned CSC Jinling Shipyard Co Ltd in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, it will take three years to build the luxury liner.
The shipyard signed an agreement to build the liner in April with the Australian mining billionaire Clive Palmer.
"The world's leading shipyards and ship design companies, including Finland's Deltamarin, have been invited to join the construction work of Titanic II," said Li Wenbao, spokesman for Jinling Shipyard.
"The liner will be equipped with advanced technologies, including the latest life-saving and communications systems, to meet the requirements of modern navigation," Li said.
He added that the formal construction contract has not yet been signed between the shipyard and Blue Star Line, a wholly owned subsidiary of Palmer's mineralogy company.
The 270-meter-long and 53-meter-high liner will have nine floors and 840 rooms, and be equipped with deluxe cabins, gymnasiums, swimming pools and libraries.
The shipyard said about 900 crew members and 2,400 passengers will get to travel on the liner's maiden voyage, scheduled for 2016, from England to North America, in accordance with Titanic's planned route.
Yang Luxing, a 29-year-old Nanjing resident, said the construction of the liner provides a chance to fulfill her long-cherished dream and that she does not mind how luxurious the liner will be, or how expensive the ticket.
"The important thing is that Titanic suggests a beautiful love story for me, because I watched the movie when I was a teenager," Yang said. "Its voyage, especially the first one, means more than other ships' maiden voyages for many people including me."
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