REGENT Seven Seas Cruises, which has its UK base in Southampton, is to build the most luxurious vessel in the era of modern cruising with delivery scheduled for summer 2016.

Accommodating just 738 guests, the new ship will be named Seven Seas Explorer and will be the line's third all-suite, all-balcony ship.

At 54,000 tons, Seven Seas Explorer will be the largest vessel in the Regent Seven Seas Cruises fleet. The contract price for the vessel is approximately $450 million, making Seven Seas Explorer the most expensive luxury cruise ship ever built.

“This new ship order represents an exciting time of growth for our company as we build the next generation of cruise ships for the world`s most inclusive luxury line,” said chief executive, Frank J. Del Rio.

“Seven Seas Explorer will be the most luxurious cruise ship ever built, boasting one of the highest space ratios and staff-to-guest ratios ever seen in modern cruising, enabling us to deliver the highly personalised service.”

The specifications for the ship call for a hull 732 feet long, with a beam of 102 feet and a draft of 23 feet and the vessel will be powered by diesel-electric engines with a service speed of 20 knots.

Seven Seas Explorer will be a “green ship” employing the most advanced environmental systems and state-of-theart technology.With the Seven Seas Explorer, Regent Seven Seas Cruises' overall fleet capacity will grow nearly 40 percent, making the brand the world's largest luxury cruise line.

At this early stage it is not known where the ship will be based or its itineraries, but further details about the vessel, which will be built in Italy, will be announced in the coming months.