PENINSULAR and Oriental Steam Navigation Co (P&O) is to build the world's first 100,000-tonne cruise ship for Princess Cruises, its Los Angeles-based subsidiary.
The ship, as yet unnamed, is the larger of two vessels about which the line released initial details in February.
As the biggest passenger vessel ever built, it will have capacity to carry 2,600 passengers and incorporate the most innovative design features on a cruise ship, setting new design standards for the industry, the company says.
P&O executive chairman Lord Sterling said: ''The 100,000-tonne ship will keep P&O at the forefront of the world's cruise industry and maintain its cruise division as one of the fastest-growing and most consistent profit earners in the P&O group.'' The ship will be built by Italian company Fincantieri.
''We are proud to be building for P&O the first ever 100,000-tonne cruise ship,'' Fincantieri chief executive Corrado Antonini said.
The sleek lines of the new ship hint at its unique interior.