This is the first sight of Southampton's newest cruise ship, Cunard's Queen Victoria which will enter service in the city in December next year.

Now under construction in Italy the vessel, the second largest ever to be built for the Southampton based world-famous shipping line, will, like the present Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth 2, also bear the name of the port on its stern.

Cunard would not confirm, ahead of a major announcement about the ship today, any details about the vessel's official naming ceremony but it is highly likely that Queen Victoria will be christened in Southampton by a member of the Royal Family.

News of yet another cruise ship for Southampton, already the UK's number one port for this multi-million-pound trade, means a further boost to the local economy with the prospect of more jobs for the city.

Each Southampton based ship is worth millions of pounds to the local economy, with the latest commercial study showing an annual income to the city of £200m and safeguarding 2,400 jobs.

With the arrival of Queen Victoria in the docks, scheduled for December 2007, it will be the first time in the company's 166 year history that Cunard will have three Queens in its fleet of ships at the same time, all based in Southampton.

Cunard is revealing full details of the ship at a press conference in London but it is already known that the new cruise ship will be able to accommodate more than 2,000 passengers together with a crew of 900.

Queen Victoria is expected to operate from the city's port almost all the year round, although it is likely she will follow Cunard's tradition of a long global voyage during the winter months.

At 90,000 tons, the same as more than 260 jumbo jets, Queen Victoria will be considerably larger than QE2 but she will not tip the scales to the same extent as Cunard's megaliner, the 151,400 ton QM2.

Work on the new Southampton ship is now well underway at Venice's Fincantieri yard and Queen Victoria's keel is expected to be laid sometime in the spring.

The 900ft-long ship, equivalent to 32 double-decker buses in a row, with Cunard's distinctive funnel with scoop sides, will be powered by two huge underwater propulsion pods.

Queen Victoria will feature a two-storey main dinning room, two exclusive grill rooms for passengers travelling in the most expensive staterooms and a spectacular main lobby and reception area.

Great anticipation Doug Morrison, Southampton's port director, said: "We, at Associated British Ports (ABP), look forward with great anticipation to the arrival of Queen Victoria in 2007.

"She will join her two sister ships, QE2 and QM2, that currently operate from the port. Her arrival will not only further strengthen the long-standing working relationship between ABP and Cunard but will also help ensure the port retains its title of 'cruise capital of the UK'."

Southampton accounts for slightly more than 50 per cent of the UK market. Cruising is estimated to bring in about £400m and 5,000 jobs to the UK economy but as the method for judging the full benefits of the industry's activities is still being fully developed, totals could be much higher.