Titanic museum given the green light in Northern Ireland

Melbourne, Nov 29 : The government in Belfast has given the go-ahead for a museum in Northern Ireland, which will recount the legendary Titanic journey.

Ministers have reportedly agreed to a massive funding package.

The Titanic, which was a passenger liner, sank in 1912 after hitting an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean, killing 1500 passengers and crew.

The museum will now be built in Belfast on the site of the shipyard where the doomed ship was built nearly 100 years ago.

Work on the Titanic Signature Project is expected to cost about 100 million pounds, reports News.com.au.

The idea was agreed upon by the devolved government in Belfast, just 10 days after politicians reached a deal to resume power-sharing in the British province following a four-month deadlock in a row over policing and justice powers.

The five-storey Titanic museum will also cover Belfast's industrial, shipbuilding and maritime history, and officials expect it to attract 400,000 visitors a year.

With the centenary of the Titanic's sinking coming up, the museum's construction will begin next year, and will expectedly finish by 2012.

The funding came alongside investment for a 150 million pounds public transport system that will link the east and west of the city, traditionally divided on sectarian grounds.

ANI