ROYAL Caribbean International has announced plans to stretch and refurbish its Vision-class ship, Enchantment of the Seas, which was officially named in Southampton.

A 73-foot midsection built by Kvaerner Masa-Yards will be inserted into the ship at the Keppel Verolme shipyard in Rotterdam, increasing the vessel's overall length to 990 feet and its tonnage from 74,140 to 80,700 tons.

The new midsection will add 151 staterooms, as well as a number of indoor and outdoor public areas.

Royal Caribbean International will be bringing its 69,130 ton cruise ship, Legend of the Seas to Southampton next year for a summer season of voyages from the port.

Growing demand for cruises from the UK has prompted Royal Caribbean's move which will see the 1,800 passenger ship offer 14-night classic Mediterranean and Canary Islands sailings from the port.

Legend of the Seas becomes the first ship in the 19-strong Royal Caribbean fleet to be solely dedicated to the British market and will operate 13 cruises from Southampton in 2005.

Enchantment of the Seas' transformation comes in the wake of extensive upgrades to other ships in the Royal Caribbean International fleet.

Royal Caribbean's chairman and chief executive officer Richard Fain said: "The refurbishment of Enchantment makes tremendous sense from both an economic and a strategic standpoint.

"We add substantial revenue without adding commensurate costs, while significantly improving the overall guest experience.

"We have taken what we have learned during the new-build process and applied best practices to upgrade our existing ships."

Enchantment of the Seas, which was launched in 1997, is scheduled to be out of service from early May until early July 2005.