CRUISE company Royal Caribbean have unveiled the giant artwork that will grace the side of their latest ship Ovation of the Seas today in Southampton.

Ovation arrived in the Hampshire port on Sunday minus the iconic animal-themed sculpture that is a feature of her sister ships Quantum and Anthem of the Seas.

Today it was revealed the art work will be a 33-foot high panda and cub.

Entitled “Mama and Baby,” the larger-than-life commission has been designed by a UK-based artist Jo Smith. Perched atop the SeaPlex on deck 15 of the ship, the piece depicts a mother panda and her cub, reaching out to one another.

Ovation is due to home port in China from this summer where the panda is considered a symbol of good luck and a national treasure.

The pandas are also a nod to the cruise line’s newly announced partnership with World Wildlife Fund, which focuses on ensuring the long-term health of the oceans.

Together, Mama and Baby weigh approximately six-and-a-half tons, and are so hefty that they require steel reinforcement. Mama stands approximately 33 feet tall from the deck to the top of the sculpture, while Baby holds steady at approximately ten feet.

Ovation’s crew will have the honour of naming the pandas when the ship sets sail, a custom for Royal Caribbean crew members as featured for its sister ships’ installations – Quantum of the Seas’ Felicia the Bear and Anthem of the Seas’ Gigi the Giraffe.