THEY will be known as Southampton's White Sisters, twin luxury superliners boosting the city's position as a world-class centre for the multi-million pound cruising industry.

The news that yet another huge cruise ship will be making the city its home port, as revealed exclusively in yesterday's Daily Echo, underlines Southampton as the UK's major force in this vital international trade.

City-based P&O Cruises is to bring the 77,000-ton Adonia to Southampton in April of next year to operate alongside sistership Oceana which joins the company's Southampton fleet later this year.

In another highly-significant move the Southampton-based cruise ship, the 63,524-ton Arcadia, will be re-named Ocean Village, totally re-branded and repositioned to the port of Palma, Majorca.

This means next year is one of the most important periods in the history of Southampton Docks as the city leaves other rival UK ports wallowing in its wake.

Not only will P&O Cruises be operating the superliners Aurora and Oriana and the White Sisters, Oceana and Adonia, from the Western Docks but Cunard will be bringing its massive 150,000-ton megaliner, Queen Mary 2, the biggest passenger liner ever seen, into service in Southampton.

On top of this Cunard's Queen Elizabeth 2, the flagship of the British merchant marine, together with the five-star Caronia will continue to be based here. Southampton will also act as a hub port for Fred Olsen Cruise Lines' Black Watch, Black Prince and Braemar and Airtours' Sundream.

Other operators that use Southampton include, Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, the ultra-luxurious Crystal Cruises, Saga Cruises, Radisson Seven Seas Cruises, Orient Lines and Norwegian Cruise Lines.

At the beginning of 2005 Cunard intends to bring another brand new cruise liner, as yet un-named, to Southampton.

It too will also be aimed solely at the British cruise passenger market.

In recent years Southampton's inexorable and unrelenting rise in prominence on the stage of the global cruise industry has resulted in a massive injection of cash into the local economy.

It is estimated that each Southampton-based cruise ship generates up to £35m a year for businesses in and around the city.

David Dingle, P&O Cruises' managing director, said: "We will continue to lead the expansion of UK cruising, appealing both to experienced passengers and to the wider holiday market, including those new to cruising.

"Adonia is the perfect ship to bring further innovation to P&O Cruises and to enhance the unique contemporary style of the fleet.

"Her arrival as our beautiful young maiden means our ships will have an average age of less than five years.

"A third of all cabins will have a private balcony.''

The cruising industry is now a major source of income for the city as the ships are lucrative customers of service providers and suppliers, hotels and transport businesses safeguarding thousands of regional jobs.

Southampton's main strengths as a cruise port are its long tradition and expertise in handling ocean-going ships, safe and sheltered berths, direct transport links to London and other parts of the UK and the presence of baggage handling companies, ships agencies, stevedores, towage operators and bunker suppliers as well as vessel repairs.

Adonia, which is now operating under the name Sea Princess in America, will be re-named and undergo a wide-ranging refit to transform it into an adults-only ship for the British market.

The decision to add Adonia to the P&O Cruises fleet is in direct response to the continued growth and substantial future prospects for cruising in the UK.

The changes will have a beneficial knock-on effect for Southampton.

P&O Cruises is so convinced that Adonia will be a success that bookings for the ship's inaugural season will begin next month.

This year a total of 178 separate cruise ship calls have been booked with the port of Southampton. This is a record number in recent years, up to next December.

ADONIA FACTS:

Cruise Line: P&O Cruises, Southampton

Country of Registry: United Kingdom

Builder: Fincantieri (Italy)

Cost: £210million

First entered service: December 1998

Tonnage: 77,000 tons

Length: 859 feet

Breadth: 106 feet

Draught: 26 feet

Service speed: 21 knots

Stabilisers: Two sets

Passengers: 2272 maximum

Crew: 900

Passenger decks: Ten

Passenger cabins: 975

Passenger facilities include:

Four deck atrium, 11 passenger lifts, 14 bars, two restaurants and numerous other eating areas, four outdoor swimming pools, shopping centre, theatre, cabaret lounge, nightclub and disco, casino, library, business centre, gymnasium and beauty salon and hospital.