SOUTHAMPTON reinforces its position as the country's premier port for the multi-million-pound British cruise sector with the arrival of one of the biggest names in the holiday industry today.

Holiday giant Thomson has picked Southampton as the base for a programme of summer voyages using the 33,930-ton Thomson Celebration, marking 2005 as the operator's biggest season so far for cruises.

The arrival of the vessel is another significant boost for the docks that will see a total of 230 separate cruise ship calls, more than all the other UK ports put together, this year.

For more on this story and other Southampton shipping news - click the 'Shipping' link at the top of this page.