Clive Palmer is an Australian businessman and former federal politician who founded Blue Star Line, the company behind the proposed Titanic II ocean-liner project.
Born in Melbourne on 26 March 1954, Palmer built his principal business interests in Australia's resources sector. He established Mineralogy and has been associated with iron ore, coal, nickel, property and resort businesses.
Blue Star Line and Titanic II
Palmer established Blue Star Line Pty Ltd in April 2012, during the centenary year of RMS Titanic's maiden voyage. The company's central purpose was to develop Titanic II: a modern passenger liner intended to recreate the appearance, interiors and class-based experience of the 1912 ship while complying with contemporary safety and construction standards.
The original proposal involved Finnish naval architecture and marine engineering company Deltamarin and Chinese shipbuilder CSC Jinling. The project did not progress into confirmed physical construction and was subsequently revived by Palmer in 2018.
Palmer relaunched Titanic II for a third time at the Sydney Opera House on 13 March 2024. Blue Star Line described a proposed 56,000gt ship measuring approximately 269 metres long and 32.2 metres wide, with 835 cabins and capacity for up to 2,435 passengers.
The company said the ship would recreate prominent Titanic interiors while incorporating modern diesel-electric propulsion, lifeboats, navigation equipment, communications systems and an additional safety deck. Deltamarin continued to support the design, alongside proposed project and design partners V.Ships Leisure and Tillberg Design.
The proposed 2027 maiden voyage
At the 2024 relaunch, Palmer proposed that Titanic II would make a maiden crossing from Southampton to New York in June 2027. He estimated that construction would cost between A$500 million and A$1 billion and said tenders would be issued during 2024, with building expected to begin in 2025.
As of August 2026, Blue Star Line had not publicly named a selected shipyard, announced a signed construction contract or recorded milestones such as steel cutting or keel laying. The June 2027 crossing is therefore no longer achievable on the publicly available timetable.
The project has not formally been cancelled, and Palmer continues to be identified by Blue Star Line as its chairman. Titanic II nevertheless remains a proposed ship rather than a confirmed newbuild or vessel under construction.
Read Deck7's full report: What happened to Titanic II? Why Clive Palmer's 2027 maiden voyage will not happen.
Business and political career
Outside the Titanic II project, Palmer is best known for his interests in the mining and resources industries. The Australian Parliament's official biography records that he served as executive chairman of Mineralogy and held senior ownership or chairmanship positions involving Waratah Coal and Queensland Nickel before entering federal parliament.
Palmer was elected to Australia's House of Representatives as the member for Fairfax, Queensland, in 2013. He represented the Palmer United Party and retired before the 2016 federal election.
His Deck7 profile records Palmer principally because of his role in Blue Star Line and Titanic II. His wider commercial and political activities provide background but do not alter the project's current status: no operational cruise line or completed ship has emerged from the proposal.
Sources: Blue Star Line: company and project history, Blue Star Line: March 2024 Titanic II relaunch, Blue Star Line: ticket and proposed route information, Deltamarin: Titanic II design involvement, Parliament of Australia: Clive Palmer biography and The Guardian: 2024 relaunch and proposed construction timetable.
Clive Palmer revived Titanic II in 2024 with a promised June 2027 maiden voyage, but no shipyard, construction contract or build programme has been announced.
Harland & Wolff built Titanic and once dominated Belfast, but later collapsed into administration twice. Its four shipyards are now owned and being modernised by Navantia UK.
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