World's richest sail into north west

The cheapest apartments sold for $2m

By Keiron Tourish BBC Northern Ireland

Life on the ocean wave takes on a new meaning when a big cruise ship sails into Londonderry in August.

That is because this unusual vessel contains apartments which people have bought and can live in all year round.

But it has been a costly venture for those who love life at sea - the cheapest apartments sold for $2m.

Development officer of the Cruise Initiative at Derry City Council Aideen Corr said they were looking forward to the arrival of the newest concept in cruising, known in the industry as a "resort community at sea" or "apartment ship".

Residents can avail of golf lessons

"The World of ResidenSea will call at Derry on its inaugural season," she said.

"It is a highly prestigious, state-of-the-art vessel, which will have passengers on board who actually own their berths similar to owning an apartment abroad.

"The cruise industry is constantly changing and developments such as the 'apartment ship' add new business and growth to the industry each year."

'Size of vessel'

Two of the largest cruise liners ever to visit the north-west will arrive later in the summer.

But there is one small problem - the Port in Lisahally outside Derry is not big enough.

It means the Royal Princess and the Crystal Symphony will have to dock at Greencastle, County Donegal, in the Republic of Ireland.

The liner has its own cinema

Bill McCann, the Harbour Master in Lisahally said: "That size of vessel is 240 metres long, they're 33 metres wide and they have a height of 50 metres. There are a number of reasons why they can't come up the Foyle to Lisahally.

"Firstly, our channel is only 50 metres wide - so it would not be considered safe to try to get them up into Lisahally. Secondly to dredge it to get those size of vessels up would cost £6m or £7m."

Inaugural visits

However, Aideen Corr is not unduly concerned. She says both Derry and Donegal will benefit.

"There's great excitement about the visit of the Royal Princess and the Crystal Symphony to Greencastle," she said.

"The Royal Princess will have around 1,800 passengers and crew - double the size of the largest liner visiting in previous years - and the Crystal Symphony has 1,400 passengers and crew.

"This is an important season for the cruise industry, particularly with five new operators and we are looking forward to ensuring the inaugural visits are a success."

Necklace worth £350,000 is for sale on board

The city's Democratic Unionist Party mayor, Mildred Garfield, welcomed the influx of tourists.

"The north-west region has been a destination for international cruises for the past number of years and it is recognised as an attractive and important port of call within the industry," she said.

"Each year we see increasing numbers of tourists visiting our city and the region."

These latest cruise liners follow on from visiting German Navy ships last summer. They docked in the city centre and attracted thousands of visitors on board.