Titanic Sails Again, This Time With More Life Boats

With a name like Titanic II its launch was never going to be plain sailing. The sequel to the doomed liner that sank 100 years ago was announced on Tuesday - after its designer claimed it would be the 'most safe cruise ship in the world' with ample lifeboats. With hubris akin to that of the 1912 original, Markku Kanerva said that 'from a safety perspective' there was no vessel on Earth which compared to the new boat. He said that it had more than enough lifeboats and that the hull was stronger than the wooden original because it was made from steel composite. Despite his confidence the mastermind behind the project, brash Australian mining billionaire Clive Palmer, refused say it was 'unsinkable'. He said: 'I think anything will sink if you put a hole in it. I think you'd be very cavalier to say something like that. 'I think people in the past have done that and lived to regret it.' The blueprint for the Titanic II was unveiled in New York for the first time along with computer generated images of the inside. They bear a startling resemblance to the 1997 James Cameron film about the ship, which starred Kate Winslet and Leonardo Di Caprio, and show that many of the original features including the famous Grand Staircase will feature in the new boat.