Titanic could be back plying the high seas again if a South African multimillionaire's dream comes true. The most famous liner in history would again be carrying the rich and famous in the lap of luxury.
Mr Sarel Gous will be in Belfast this week for talks about building a new version.
Titanic II would be the biggest liner in the world, bigger than the original Belfast-built vessel which sank on its maiden transatlantic voyage in 1912, and larger even than the Queen Mary 2, the order for which Harland & Wolff shipyard failed to win several weeks ago.
Mr Gous, who has already had talks with the head of the technical department at Harland & Wolff, is to return on Friday for discussions with the Belfast City Council development committee.
Harland & Wolff has said it regularly gets calls from all around the world asking about the chances of building a new Titanic. But the company said it was satisfied that Mr Gous was serious about building a ship which would now cost more than £500 million to complete.
"He has been working on this for quite some time and has put a considerable amount of his own money into it. He is committed to seeing it happen," said a spokesman.
He said Mr Gous approached the yard's technical services division a couple of years ago and paid it to study the commercial viability of reconstructing the Titanic.
Harland & Wolff holds the plans for the Titanic, but a copy would not have to be built in Belfast. However, the yard hopes it would get the work if the idea got off the very old drawing board.
If a new Titanic was built nearly 100 years on it would not be an exact replica, said the yard. It could have the same external lines and level of luxury, but under the skin it would be a very modern ship.
A former Belfast lord mayor and Assemblyman, Dr Ian Adamson, is also a Titanic buff. "This is not a pipe-dream. The magic of the Titanic name would make this the cruise ship the rich and famous would want to sail on," he said.
"Cruising is the last resort of the millionaire in the 21st century, but all cruise ships seem to look the same.
"Titanic II, bigger and better than the original, but with its own famous grand staircase and luxury, would be a winner."