Southampton: New cruise ship docks ahead of maiden voyage

With 16 guest decks the 345m-long Arvia is P&O's second cruise ship to be powered by liquefied natural gas

A new cruise ship has arrived in UK waters to collect its first passengers ahead of its maiden voyage.

P&O's Arvia docked in Southampton on Sunday and will spend its first season sailing in the Caribbean where it will be officially named.

At 345m-long and with 16 decks, the ship can accommodate 5,200 guests and 1,800 crew.

It departs "pretty much full" for the Canary Islands on Friday, a P&O spokeswoman said.

The ship is the operator's second to be powered by liquified natural gas and was built at Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany.

Throughout the summer it will sail from Southampton to the Mediterranean.

The ship during its build at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany

Few travel sectors were worse hit by the coronavirus pandemic than the global cruise line industry.

In 2019, it contributed more than $154bn (£110bn) to the global economy, the trade body Cruise Lines International Association said.

But during lockdown the world's cruise ships were anchored off Weymouth in Dorset.

P&O Cruises president, Paul Ludlow, who was on board the Arvia as it arrived in Southampton, said it was a "truly remarkable moment".

It will depart for the Caribbean on 6 January, where it will be officially named in Barbados.

The coast off Weymouth became a berthing hotspot for cruise ships during lockdown

Cold-water swimmers from the Sisterhood Swimming group welcome the Arvia as it arrived in the Solent