SA Titanic to set sail in Spain

WHILE negativity, scepticism and building logistics have reportedly sunk plans for the reconstruction of the legendary Titanic in Durban harbour, the developer says he may soon secure funding to have her built in the Spanish port of Puerto Real. Pretoria-based lawyer and managing director for RMS Titanic Shipping Holdings, Sarel Gous, told Travel Now that he was in Spain last week, negotiating with two Spanish banks for funding which he believes will be forthcoming within the next 30 days. The Spanish construction company, Astillieros Espanol, has agreed to build the ship which exactly replicates the details of the original Titanic except that she will be 19 metres longer and 4 metres wider. He says plans to build the ship in South Africa by the turn of the millennium had to be abandoned as the facilities for construction were not feasible and financiers were "far too negative and sceptical about the concept". "We needed a dry dock to build the ship and since that doesn't exist in South Africa, we would have had to build a slipway or build her on land. That would have chased the costs up quite substantially as well." Pending the outcome of negotiations, plans are to set sail under the South African flag and have South Africa as the port of registry. Gous also says that 20 to 30% of the building components will be sourced from South Africa and the interior design will have a "distinctly South African feel". The ship will be able to accommodate 1 400, boasting 756 cabins, 56 of them staterooms. "We are in the final design stages and the cabins will feature five different designs." Dependent on the financial package, construction is expected to take six months to a year to complete. (Adele Mackenzie)