P&O announces brand new mega cruise ship built specifically for Australia

Major cruise line P&O has announced it is building a brand new cruise ship specifically targeted at the Australian market.

The new-build ship, to be launched in 2019, will be the largest cruise ship to call Australia home. The ship is expected to weigh 135,500 tonnes and will have the capacity to hold 4200 passengers, which is double that of the largest cruise ship currently homeporting in Australian waters.

Royal Carribean's Explorer of the Seas is currently Australia's largest ship. It will be overtaken by Ovation of the Seas when it arrives in December this year ahead of the 2016/2017 summer cruising season. Ovation of the Seas will feature groundbreaking facilities, including Ripcord by iFLY, a controlled Skydiving experience and NorthStar, a jewelled-shape viewing capsule that ascends 300 feet (92 metres) above sea level.

With the recent entrance of Pacific Aria and Pacific Eden in Australia (see gallery above), P&O will continue to build on the evolution of its fleet with new-build ships which is set to be a true game-changer for the Australian cruising industry.

P&O's newest venture is a first for the Australian cruising industry and is said to provide great opportunity to keen Australian cruisers.

"The much anticipated first new-build cruise ship is a huge vote of confidence in the Australian cruise market with much of the 20 per cent year­-on­year passenger growth over the past decade driven by P&O Cruises' dynamic industry leadership," said Carnival Australia executive chairman, Ann Sherry in a statement.

Cruising has become a popular choice of holiday for many Australians, with over a million people jumping on board each year.

Designed specifically for the modern Australian market, the new ship will create more cruising options for Australian cruisers offering itineraries from three to 10 days in duration.

Design features and the name of the ship are yet to be released.

See also: World's 10 biggest cruise ships
See also: Mega cruise liners coming to Australia