Blue Star Line Pty Ltd Chairman Professor Clive Palmer has announced the shipping company has signed a contract with Deltamarin for the project development phase for the Titanic II project.

Blue Star Line has undertaken the task of building Titanic II, a replica of the original RMS Titanic, which is scheduled to sail from Southampton to New York on her maiden passenger voyage in 2016.

Titanic II, a full scale version of the original ship, is being designed by the Finland-based Deltamarin and will be built by leading Chinese shipbuilders CSC Jinling Shipyard, which since 1996 has built vessels for customers from more than 20 countries.

Professor Palmer said the new contract with Deltamarin was signed this month and covers a detailed schedule of events including the commencement of construction and the keel laying.

“The scope of work for the contract includes the establishment of project steering committees and a management team,” he said.

“Deltamarin will be responsible for coordinating the various parties involved in the project including the shipyard, architects, interior designers and operations managers.”

Professor Palmer said Deltamarin will undertake a full review of the Titanic II project to ensure the vessel will be compliant with all current safety and construction regulations.

While every bit as luxurious as the original, Titanic II will have every modern amenity along with 21st century technology and the latest navigation and safety systems.