澳洲富翁委托中国船厂复制泰坦尼克号 拟2016年首航

CANBERRA, Australia -- An Australian billionaire said Monday he'll build a high-tech replica of the Titanic at a Chinese shipyard and its maiden voyage in late 2016 will be from England to New York, just like its namesake planned.

堪培拉：澳大利亚一位亿万富翁在周一表示，他将开始在委托中国造船厂利用高科技复制泰坦尼克号，其处女航定在2016年末，航线就如之前的泰坦尼克一样，从英格兰启程到达美国纽约。

Weeks after the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the original Titanic, Clive Palmer announced Monday he has signed a memorandum of understanding with state-owned Chinese company CSC Jinling Shipyard to build the Titanic II.

在泰坦尼克号沉没100周年纪念日的几周后，克莱夫·帕尔默向外界宣称，本周一他和中国国营的CSC金陵船厂签订了合作备忘录，准备踏上建造泰坦尼克II号的征途。

"It will be every bit as luxurious as the original Titanic, but ... will have state-of-the-art 21st-century technology and the latest navigation and safety systems," Palmer said in a statement. He called the project "a tribute to the spirit of the men and women who worked on the original Titanic."

“她有着泰坦尼克号的奢侈华丽，却以21世纪最先进的科技为后盾，拥有领先的航海技术和安全保障系统”，帕尔默在一次声明中如是说。他将这项工程称为“是献身工作于泰坦尼克号全体人员的伟大敬业精神的赞颂”。

More than 1,500 people died after the Titanic hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic on its first voyage. It was the world's largest and most luxurious ocean liner at the time.

泰坦尼克在北大西洋开始她的处女航之际撞上冰山，船上超过1500人失去了宝贵的生命，泰坦尼克是当时世界上规模空前的奢华邮轮。

Palmer built a fortune on real estate on Australia's Gold Coast tourist strip before becoming a coal mining magnate. BRW magazine reported he was Australia's fifth-richest person last year with more than 5 billion Australian dollars ($5.2 billion).

帕尔默早前在澳洲黄金海岸的旅游带从事房地产，赚得一笔资产后又成为了煤矿巨头。澳洲商业评论周刊报导称，帕尔默在澳洲的富翁排行榜中位居第五名，拥有资产高达50亿澳元（52亿美元）。

Palmer said at a news conference that previous attempts to build a Titanic replica failed because proponents failed to raise enough money and commission a shipyard. The Titanic II is the first of four luxury cruise ships Palmer has commissioned CSC Jinling Shipyard to build.

帕尔默在一次资讯发布会上表示，之前无数次对泰坦尼克的复制都以失败告终，主要因为项目赞助者资金不够，没能力雇佣一座船厂。而泰坦尼克II号是帕尔默委任中国金陵造船厂建造的四艘豪华游轮中的第一艘。

Palmer did not provide a cost estimate. He said he had established a new shipping company, Blue Star Line Pty. Ltd., and that design work for the Titanic II has begun with assistance from a historical research team.

帕尔默并没有说明成本估算值，他只说自己已经成立了一家新型船舶公司——蓝星线有限公司。同时他指出，泰坦尼克II号的建造有一只历史研究团队做后盾。

The diesel-powered ship will have four smoke stacks like the coal-powered original, but they will be purely decorative.

和泰坦尼克号一样，这艘豪华游轮拥有四个烟筒，但不同的是，泰坦尼克II号会以柴油发动机为动力，而不是之前的燃煤，所以烟筒的作用是纯装饰性。

The most obvious changes from the original Titanic would be below the water line, including welding rather than rivets, a bulbous bow for greater fuel efficiency and enlarged rudder and bow thrusters for increased maneuverability, Palmer said.

帕尔默说，泰坦尼克II号区别于泰坦尼克最大的地方就是在水位线下焊接了（不是铆接）球形艏门以提高燃料的工作效率，扩张船舵和船首推进器的尺寸，使其更便于操作控制。

Brett Jardine, general manager for Australia and New Zealand in the industry group International Cruise Council, said Titanic II would be small by modern standards but could prove viable at the top end of the luxury market.

澳大利亚和新西兰国际邮轮委员会的集团总经理雷德贾丁认为，相比于当今邮轮标准，泰坦尼克II号算不上庞大，但足以位居奢侈品市场上的首位。

"From a marketing point of view, many will embrace it and perhaps there'll be some that wouldn't," Jardine said.

“从营销角度来讲，许多人将会青睐她的诞生，而另外一些人或许会不以为然。” 他坦言。

While the Titanic II would carry around 1,680 passengers, most modern cruise ships create economies of scale by catering for more than 2,000 passengers, he said.

“虽然泰坦尼克II号承载人数为1680人左右，但为了创造规模经济的，大多数邮轮公司为迎合市场需求会将乘客数量增加到2000左右。”

Among the world's largest passenger ships, Allure of the Seas is 90 meters (295 feet) longer than the 270-meter (886-foot) Titanic and has 2,700 cabins.

在世界上规模最大的客轮中，泰坦尼克号全长270米（886英尺），而邮轮海洋魅力号比泰坦尼克长90米（295英尺），同时拥有2700个船舱。