Southampton became a sure fire winner when one of the biggest names in global shipping flexed its mighty muscle power and, at a stroke, changed the face of the UK's rapidly expanding cruise industry yesterday.

Carnival Corporation, that owns city based P&O Cruises, Cunard and Princess Cruises, took major steps to restructure capacity and tighten its grip on the British market.

As a direct result of the complex series of moves by the Miami based cruising empire, Southampton also strengthens its position as the country's premier cruise port generating million of pounds every year for the city economy and safeguarding employment for thousands of people across the region.

The port will see increased numbers of cruise ship calls, more people will use the many services, including hotel, restaurant and transport companies in and around the port as they join and leave the vessels, while the many Southampton marine specialists can also expect a sharp rise in business.

This year about 210 separate cruise ships are due to call at Southampton and more than half a million passengers will use the port's three cruise terminals but now both these statistics will rise in 2005.

The main points of the restructuring are:

Cunard's present Queen Victoria project, now under construction in Italy, will be transferred to P&O Cruises in April of next year, to be based in Southampton and renamed Arcadia.

Cunard has ordered an enhanced ocean liner, also to be called Queen Victoria, which is due to begin operations early in 2007.

The cruise ship, Adonia will leave the P&O Cruises' Southampton fleet and switch to Princess Cruises where she will sail as Sea Princess, be dedicated to the British market and based in the UK so is expected to remain a familiar sight in the city's docks.

May, 2005 will see Royal Princess leave Princess Cruises and join P&O Cruises in Southampton where she will be known as Artemis.

According to Carnival these changes have been the result of the entry into service, earlier this year in Southampton, of the 151,400 ton megaliner, Queen Mary 2.

Peter Radcliffe, executive director of Carnival Corporation, said: "The tremendous success of Queen Mary 2, and the potential to grow and offer further choice for UK cruise passengers prompted these changes.

"We will now have brands and ships that cater to all the differing needs of the growing and diversifying UK base."

The new Arcadia will fly the Red Ensign and be designated exclusively for adults. At 85,000 tons, with an all-in cost of £225m, she will be the largest cruise ship built exclusively for the British market.

"Arcadia, which was ordered prior to the combination of P&O Cruises and Carnival Corporation, was originally designed to provide a premium British cruise experience and is well suited to delivering the P&O Cruises product to its British customers,'' said Mr Radcliffe.

"The new Queen Victoria will accommodate 1,850 passengers and is expected to cost around £267m and will be more consistent with the grand ocean liner style of Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth 2.''

No details of the new Queen Victoria's deployment have been released by Cunard but it is thought she will operate in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean.

Adonia will reclaim the name, Sea Princess, which she was originally given at the time of her delivery in 1998 and will become the first Princess Cruise ship with itineraries tailored specifically for the British market and spearhead an increase in the company's capacity dedicated to the UK.

When the present 44,348 ton Royal Princess, a regular summer visitor to Southampton, swaps roles and is renamed Artemis, she will strengthen P&O Cruises' fleet to five including Oriana, Aurora, Oceana and the new Arcadia.

Already a classic medium-sized ship with all outside staterooms, Artemis will be converted to a British style vessel prior to entering service for P&O Cruises.