The Australian billionaire building a high-tech replica of the Titanic at a Chinese shipyard has received an "overwhelming" response from people who want to be the first paying passengers.

Representatives for Clive Palmer said today the company had received inquiries from around the world, with half a dozen even offering a million dollars or more to be on the maiden voyage in 2016.

Mr Palmer announced last April that he planned to build Titanic II with the help of state-owned Chinese company CSC Jinling Shipyard. Officials from Palmer's company, Blue Star Line, said they hoped to sign a final contract with the shipbuilder soon.

The Titanic, the world's largest and most luxurious ocean liner, hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic and sank on April 15, 1912.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.